Harris Staley, a first-year aerospace engineering student at Tuskegee University and Presidential Scholar, looks forward to continuing her internship as the research phase begins this fall.
She recently announced on social media that she completed the summer portion of the Quantum Technology Computational Material Design project, led by Dr. Alcántara Ortigoza and Dr. Stolbov.
Over the past six weeks, Staley learned the fundamentals of quantum physics and computational materials science through lectures, presentations, and hands-on computational training.
Through guided exercises, Staley explored condensed matter physics and quantum mechanics, including the Schrödinger equation and free-electron wavefunctions.
She learned to use computational tools to investigate materials by constructing crystal lattice structures and analyzing their properties.
She also developed Python programming skills, building neural networks and genetic algorithms for scientific computing and machine learning.
This experience deepened her understanding, increased her confidence in discussing technical concepts, and prepared her to present research at the 2027 APS Meeting.
Staley toured several research laboratories at the University of Central Florida, learning about topics from ultrafast surface reaction dynamics to carbon nanotubes and other nanoscale materials.
Hearing from researchers introduced her to new areas of study and prepared her for the next phase of the project.
The 2027 APS Global Physics Summit (Joint March and April Meeting) will take place April 11–16, 2027, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, bringing together over 14,000 physicists and scientists for multidisciplinary research presentations and career events.
USBE Online joins Harrison W. Staley, project executive at the Obama Presidential Center, in saying: "Well done, Harris!"
We are all proud of you.