Prize Recipient

Franklin Orndorff-Plunkett

Background:

I am a sophomore majoring in Physics. As a student in the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), I built a device that demonstrates the Seebeck and Peltier thermoelectric effects.  APS member, Dr. Gang Chen, Director of the W.M. Rohsenow Heat and Mass Transfer Laboratory in the Mechanical Engineering Department, was my research supervisor. My summer internship was at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. The work dealt with computer modeling in a thermonuclear fusion project and systems engineering under APS Fellow, Dr. John Pace VanDevender. As I continue to explore the vast, intriguing world of physics, I find that I am attracted to gauge field theories and fundamental problems in physics such as unification of field theories with general relativity. Questions such as how and where mass and energy disperse after reaching the singularity of a black hole, the problem of why and how inertia exists, and that of dark matter occupy many of my thoughts. These concepts interest me not only for the challenge of understanding more of how the Universe works, but also for the cultural and technological implications that would result from solving some of these problems. In addition to my study of physics, I am continuing with work in mathematics and foreign languages, mostly Chinese and French. My extracurricular activities include Lindy-Hop and Latin social dance, which allow me to meet new people, broaden my horizons, and practice my dance combinations. Additionally, I am maintaining my interests in music including piano, saxophone and voice, and may soon join one of the a capella groups at the Institute. I am deeply honored to have received the APS Minority Scholarship. For two years, it has helped to broaden my educational experience by pairing me in mentorships with APS members Dr. James Turner, Acting Director and Deputy Director of NIST and Dr. Eric W. Hudson, Assistant Professor of Physics at MIT.   The scholarship has reduced my need for student loans by providing some of the self-help funds that I must obtain under terms of my financial aid award.