North Baltimore Resident Completes Summer Research Experience
ASHLAND, Ohio – North Baltimore resident Emily Law, a junior mathematics and physics major and computer science minor at Ashland University, completed a research experience for undergraduates (REU) as part of the Louisiana State University Physics and Astronomy REU program. The summer internship was under supervision of LSU assistant professor of physics, Dr. Thomas Corbitt.
Law is the daughter of Christopher Law of North Baltimore and is a 2014 graduate of North Baltimore High School.
“The 10-week program introduces students to the nature of research-oriented careers in physics and astronomy, and fosters development of research-related skills and knowledge. Many other events occur in conjunction with concurrent LSU summer undergraduate science programs in space science, computational science and biomedical sciences,” Law said.
LSU is closely located to one of the sites for Advanced LIGO, an organization dedicated to detecting gravitational waves. Scientists at Advanced LGIO are looking to increase the variety of events detected by reducing various types of noise. Law’s research was based around modifying a computer code that calculated quantum noise in a prototype laser cavity. This laser cavity was used to test ways to reduce the types of noise scientists see at Advanced LIGO, such as introducing squeezed light.
“During the program I learned a lot about the atmosphere of a laboratory environment. I was able to talk with graduate students about their college and research experiences, as well as pick up a few tips for graduate school,” said Law. “I was also exposed to different fields of physics that I had never covered in much depth before. Each week I attended a seminar over a topic in physics and basically got a crash course in a variety of different topics, such as condensed matter, astrophysics and even patent law.”
After graduation, Law plans to attend graduate school and eventually earn her Ph.D. in physics. Law said, “Right now I am planning on applying to OSU and LSU, but I will expand that list as I do more research. My ultimate goal is to conduct research in a lab somewhere and make a lasting contribution to science.”
Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2016, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu)values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.
