Category: Alumni

Dash to Deliver Graduation Greetings at Fall Commencement

We are so excited to learn Sushree Dash has been chosen as the graduate speaker for fall commencement. Dash will share memorable Michigan Tech moments and advice for the future at the ceremony. The ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the Varsity Gym in Michigan Tech’s Student Development Complex (SDC). Dash earned her Ph.D. in Applied Physics.

It’s a fitting end to a successful graduate career. Dash is a 2022 recipient of a Michigan Tech Doctoral Finishing Fellowship, among many other accomplishments. Dash is the recipient of the Ovshinsky and Distinguished Student Awards that recognize Ph.D. students and their research at American Physical Society conferences.

Dash has big plans for the commencement address. “I aim to highlight the power of resilience, mentorship, and the spirit of community that defines our time here,” said Dash. If it’s anything like Dash’s research, it will surely be insightful.

Read more about Dash in Michigan Tech News.

Sushree Dash and Husky mascot pose on the ski hill
Sushree Dash and Blizzard T. Husky after testing Newton’s law of gravity on the ski slopes at Mont Ripley (Image courtesy Sushree Dash)

About the Physics Department

Physicists at Michigan Technological University help students apply academic concepts to real-world issues. Our physicists take on the big questions to discover how the universe works—from the smallest particles to the largest galaxies. The Physics Department offers three undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees. Supercharge your physics skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow’s high-tech business landscape.

Questions? Contact us at physics@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for the latest happenings. Or read more at the Physics Newsblog.

Alumni Profile – Bethany Hellman

2022 alumna Bethany Hellman
2022 graduate Bethany Hellman in the Optical Nanoscopy Lab at the University of Central Florida.

Bethany Hellman graduated in the Spring of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. She was an inaugural recipient of The Elizabeth Henes Memorial Award for outstanding undergraduate women in physics. Bethany was a member of the Society of Physics students throughout her time at Michigan Tech, worked as a coach at the Physics Learning Center, and performed experimental research with the guidance of Professor Jacek Borysow. 

In your time at Michigan Tech, what was it like to be a member of the Physics Department? 

I think the best part of the physics department at Tech is the close-knit nature of the  department. Right from the start of my undergraduate degree, we developed good study  strategies and worked together to get through our classes. This cooperation built good team working skills as well as helped with individual understanding of the material.  Additionally, it is easy to talk to and connect with the professors, and it helps make the  department feel less intimidating. The opportunities for travel, whether it be to visit labs and colleges or to attend conferences, really helped integrate me into the STEM community and get a feel for what the field is like and what the field is doing. While it is hard, there were definitely moments where I felt I was getting a good college education.

Can you talk a little bit about your senior research project and what it was like to get  hands-on experience in the lab? 

My senior research involved laser engineering, and I don’t think we praise the hands-on experience enough. It is one thing to learn about the theory and see it all work out nicely on a chalkboard, but when it comes time to do something with that information you need to learn a new set of skills that is unrelated to what we learn in a classroom. Only by fine tuning the transmission through a fiber optic cable and slightly adjusting a mirror to find the perfect spot did I learn that optics requires a lot of patience and fine motor skills. I knew in theory that I needed my seed laser to hit the gain medium of the semiconductor laser, but in practice that gain medium is on the order of micrometers in size; learning how to actually align the optics to get there required trial and error. I honestly loved the research I was doing, and the freedom I had to figure it out on my own helped me develop an independence when it comes to research. I learned how to read manuals, how to troubleshoot, and how to look for other sources on the web when I had a question to answer. It is truly one of the most valuable aspects of my undergraduate degree. 

Do you feel like this experience helped you in your search for graduate schools? 

It definitely did. My research opened my eyes to the field of optics and photonics, and when I applied to graduate school I have no doubt the research I had helped me get accepted into the program I’m in now. It also helped me figure out what exactly I wanted from a graduate program; I really enjoyed the hands-on activity, and after visiting two universities I decided on the one that had a building full of labs instead of classrooms. It has also helped prepare me for graduate level research, which requires a lot of self direction, and it helped develop a base of skills for working in a lab. 

What is it that you are doing now? 

Currently I am working with Dr. Han in his Optical Nanoscopy Lab while pursuing my  doctorate in Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida. The focus of the  lab is super resolution fluorescence microscopy, although currently I am working on phase imaging microscopy (more specifically quadriwave lateral shearing interferometry, or QLSI). As such, I am working on a microscope setup with an LED light source and a camera with a diffraction grating, and down the road I aim to improve the resolution of the setup. It requires learning a lot of new skills, like how to prepare a bead sample or a DNA sample for viewing, a lot of optics, and some coding.  

Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for those who are thinking of becoming a physics major? 

I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that you learn very applicable skills in  physics. It is tough for sure, but with a little perseverance the most important thing you will learn is how to learn. You will learn how to find the answer to your own questions and how to properly understand the information you need. You will learn patience, because I don’t believe it comes easily to any of us, and it may take several times to fully understand a concept. With these skills however, there isn’t anything you can’t learn, and that opens a lot of doors.

Alumni Profile – Daniel Koshar

Daniel Koshar
Daniel Koshar (BS, 2022) at Ovshinsky Innovation
Optics and spectroscopic laboratory equipment
Daniel’s senior project apparatus for detecting light absorbing particles in the air.
Dan Koshar
Daniel during the 2022 senior trip to France

Daniel Koshar graduated in the Spring of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. During his time at Michigan Tech, Daniel was a member of the Society of Physics students, worked as a coach at the Physics Learning Center, and took advantage of multiple research opportunities.

Daniel aided Dr. Piret (Math) in developing a simulation of COVID-19 spread through a small city to help inform Michigan Tech policy. He worked in Dr. Yap’s laboratory researching cost-effective methods of producing BNNT Nanotubes, and assisted Dr. Mazzoleni and Dr. Borysow in engineering a device for detecting aerosols related to air quality and climate change, with a particular focus on soot and black carbon.

In your time at Michigan Tech, what was it like to be a member of the Physics Department?

My time at MTU was a great experience for me.  I gained many practical skills — both from the classroom material and college life — as well as met some amazing people.  Professors were generally supportive and genuinely cared about your success, the lounge provided a great place for me and my peers to work together on studying and homework, and research opportunities were always easily accessible. 

Can you talk a little bit about the research you performed at Tech and what it was like to get hands-on experience?

I began researching at Tech as soon as my sophomore year, and opportunities were pretty easy to come by.  There were always professors looking for students to help with their projects, and simply asking around was enough to get started within a couple weeks if even.  I even got paid for some of my research.  Working alongside professors and other students while also developing incredibly useful career skills was an amazing experience, and I’d highly recommend getting involved as soon as possible.

What is it that you are doing now?

I work at Ovshinsky Innovation in Hancock, MI, just across Portage Lake from Michigan Tech itself.  It’s a start-up company focused on the invention and development of new technologies with an emphasis on energy science.  Currently, my job primarily deals with prototyping, assembling, and programming various devices we use for experiments, but will soon expand into managing and running some of these experiments myself.

Do you feel like your experience at Michigan Tech helped prepare you for what you’re doing now? If so, how?

My time at MTU taught me skills that I use all the time, both at work and in general.  Clear communication, collaborating with others, learning new concepts quickly and effectively, how to conduct effective research- these are all skills I learned while getting my degree that I have to use all the time alongside the material I learned in the classroom.

Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for those who are thinking of becoming a physics major?

Make friends within physics and don’t try to do the degree all on your own.  No matter what field you’re in, STEM is all about collaboration and working together with your peers.  It’ll still be tough at times but having people to study and bounce ideas around with improve your college life by a lot. Also, get involved in research as soon as possible.  You’ll gain a lot of practical experience, get to know great people, and it looks fantastic on a resume.

Umbargers Establish Fund to Advance Undergraduate Research in Physics

John and Kathy Umbarger
John and Kathy Umbarger share a happy moment

C. John ’64 and Kathryn O. Umbarger created the C. John and Kathryn Umbarger Physics Fund at Michigan Technological University. The annual fund provides financial support to Michigan Tech’s Department of Physics for undergraduate and graduate student projects and research. 

A Giving Tradition Since 1988

Giving directly to the Michigan Tech physics program is nothing new for the Umbargers. They have been doing so since 1988. In fact, supporting education and learning is something near and dear to the Umbargers. John believes, “It doesn’t matter where you start but what you do in life. With learning and an education, you can do just about anything.” 

John Umbarger
John Umbarger in the 1964 Keweenawan

“Thanks to my Michigan Tech education, I was fortunate enough to meet the love of my life, embark on a terrific career, and start and nurture a terrific family,” John said. “Both Kathy and I have been blessed. We have a sound financial footing, and we want to help Michigan Tech students embark on a similar journey. We hope and encourage other Tech graduates to consider doing the same.”

Physics Advocates Create Opportunities

“Kathy and John have been strong advocates of the physics program at Michigan Tech and provided generous support for the undergraduate research fellowships over the past years,” said Dr. Ravindra Pandey, Department Chair and Professor of Physics. “We are excited for the tremendous opportunities our students get to apply their learning in the lab, practice skills and acquire knowledge that will help them on their future journey and career.”

Kathy Olson Umbarger
Kathy Olson (now Umbarger) was crowned queen of the 1964 Military Ball

The fund enables projects like Breanna Patz’s “Ultralight Sunflower Starshade Structural Design – NASA challenge” under the guidance of faculty advisor Dr. Jacek Borysow. Breanna is working to develop a sunshade that helps those using ground-based telescopes to get an unobstructed view of exoplanets by blocking out the light of stars. As a result, observers can better see the light reflected by a planet and understand the features (e.g., oceans, land masses, atmosphere) of that planet. NASA’s challenge is to create a deployable sunshade for use in space.

Benj Sloma’s work under the guidance of faculty advisor Claudio Mazzoleni is another example. ”Use of Dynamic Photoacoustic Spectroscopy to Measure Light Absorbance of Aerosols” helps researchers to study particles containing black carbon (BC) produced during incomplete combustion and their interactions with clouds. “We could not offer opportunities like these to students without the generosity of donors like the Umbargers,” said Pandey.

Umbargers Pay It Forward

Paying it forward is a common theme for the Umbargers. “We had teachers and educators that made positive impacts on our lives. It’s important for us to pay it forward and give the next generation the same opportunities we had. Plus it is energizing to talk and work with young people,” he said.

How else has John been paying it forward? He teaches classes each week to 12-13 students in the Benton and Franklin Counties Juvenile Justice Center; a role he started in the late ’90s. He founded the Tri-Cities Crystal Apple Awards program, recognizing local teachers. And John just retired from the Pasco School District Vocational Program Board, which he initiated in 1997. This self-funding program enables students to build homes (23 were built in 25 years) to be sold on the open market, teaching valuable skills to hundreds of students. These and countless other examples of community work earned him recognition as Tri-Citian of the Year in 2010.

Michigan Tech Glee Club singing in 1964
John Umbarger (back row, second from left) sings with the Glee Club

John has a bachelor’s degree in physics, a master’s in management, a doctorate in nuclear physics, and served two post-doctoral fellowships. He holds five U.S. patents and was employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory until 1997, spending 26 years with the Department of Energy lab. John and Kathy moved to Washington state in 1997, where John took a job with Fluor Hanford in economic development and community programs. He retired in 2008.

Would You Like To Give?

If you would like to inquire about giving opportunities in the Physics Department or elsewhere at Tech, please contact Karin Van Dyke, Michigan Tech University, Director of Advancement, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931. Email: kvandyke@mtu.edu. Phone: 906-487-2464.

In Print

Complex, noncore-shell morphology of BC-containing particle, from Figure 1, image A in recent study.

A recent study, Radiative absorption enhancements by black carbon controlled by particle-to-particle heterogeneity in composition, stemming from a collaboration between Brookhaven National Laboratory, Michigan Tech, and other institutions was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and has been highlighted in the research highlights section of Nature Climate Change this March. 

The research resulted in the development of a new modeling approach – guided by experimental results – to account more accurately for the effects of soot on climate. Coauthors of the paper include two former students of the Atmospheric Sciences Ph.D. program from the physics department, Drs. Janarjan Bhandari and Swarup China.

Janarjan Bhadari, ’18, currently works at the Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, and Swarup China, ’14, is at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.