Prize Recipient

Elizabeth Henderson

Background:

Elizabeth Henderson is a graduate of the Horace Mann School in the Bronx, New York and has completed her first year at Amherst College. She finds physics compelling because it is a continually evolving mathematical model of the natural world--from subatomic particles to the universe itself. Elizabeth intends to obtain a PhD in physics so that she can contribute to the quest for the underlying logic and theoretical structure of different subatomic and optical phenomena. She has done independent research on the historical development of particle physics, the origins of quantum physics and the physics of music. Elizabeth was introduced to optics during a college physics course by using Maxwell's four equations to illustrate the wave nature of light, and subsequently investigating geometric optics, including Huygen's construction, Snell's Law and the laws of reflection and refraction. This summer Elizabeth has been a member of the Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP). She has been involved in laser induced breakdown spectroscopy research at the Center for Applied Optics at Delaware State University. Elizabeth looks forward to developing her skills and practical knowledge through coursework, internships and research opportunities. She is grateful to the APS for its support and guidance.