2023 PASSHE STEM Student Research Conference

2023 KEYNOTE SPEECH Speaker: Caelan Brooks 

Caelan Brooks is currently a third year PhD student in Physics at Harvard University. Her graduate school research has explored various fields such as theoretical biophysics, experimental immunology, and theoretical chemistry. She graduated summa cum laude from Kutztown University in 2021 with a B.S. in Physics and minors in Mathematics and Spanish. At KU, she worked with Prof. Kunal K. Das investigating ultra-cold atoms trapped in topologically unique lattices. Additionally, she completed a research project focusing on phenotypic patterns arising in B. subtilis biofilms through an REU program at Boston University. During her three years as an undergraduate, she was an honors program student, a member of the nationally ranked KU women’s soccer team and served on the executive board of the local SPS chapter. Caelan is the recipient of the American Physical Society (APS) Leroy Apker award, given to just two students in the country for their undergraduate research contributions. As a graduate student, she has been awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship.

2023 KEYNOTE SPEECH

Navigating complex systems as a complex researcher

ABSTRACT:

Upon coming to graduate school, amidst students derived from very different undergraduate institutions, I struggled to understand how Kutztown University fit into the academic landscape I was thrust into, and how I should, therefore, form my scientific identity. I found myself clinging to a few true touchstones: (1) Just like myself, many students arrive at KU without any knowledge of what scientific research is, let alone see themselves attending graduate school to do research; (2) I am certain that one of the major reasons I am in academia today is that I was introduced to the vivid world of physics by mentors who saw potential in me that I could not see in myself; (3) When the path to your goals is not clear it doesn’t mean you don’t belong on the path, just that you must find your own way. Holding these with me, I have begun to learn how to navigate the complex systems I find myself entangled in as I venture into spaces that I didn’t know existed growing up. Along with descriptions of pivotal points in my academic journey, I will also take you on a tour through research I have done investigating various complex systems: from Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in optical lattices, to pattern forming bacterial biofilms, to excitons in light harvesting systems, to the process of evolution itself. I hope to demonstrate that although our paths to our goals may be complex, they also provide us with a unique perspective that make us equipped to accomplish them.