MTSU students magnify their science research through ‘AMPLIFY’ program

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Four Middle Tennessee State University students have been recognized as Amplify Scholars for success in obtaining graduate school and coveted Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships.

Computer Science major Kendra Givens has received a fellowship to pursue her doctorate at Vanderbilt University, while senior professional physics and biochemistry double major Monika Fouad has earned a fellowship to pursue her doctorate at Michigan State University and several other schools.

Middle Tennessee State University Department of Physics and Astronomy AMPLIFY Scholar internship and graduate school recipients include, front row from left, Kendra Givens, Ariel Nicastro, Monika Fouad and Pratanna Thamsorn. Back row from left are mentors Hanna Terletska, Neda Nasari and Wandi Ding. Terletska launched the AMPLIFY program last fall and more than a dozen students became involved. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

Sophomore professional physics major Ariel Nicastro and physics major Pratanna Thamsorn have received Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships, also known as SULI awards, to perform internships at Oak Ridge National Laboratory this summer.

They are four of more than a dozen students pursuing Amplify research.

Dr. Hanna Terletska

Hanna Terletska, Physics and Astronomy Department associate professor, launched the program, stylized as AMPLIFY, last fall “to broaden participation and students’ success in emerging areas, including quantum, materials, artificial intelligence and computation,” she said.

Amplify is a two-semester scholar program for research training, professional development and faculty mentorship.

There is a special focus on getting more MTSU students into graduate schools and increase students’ success in obtaining National Science Foundation, Research Experiences for Undergraduates, or REUs, and SULI awards, Terletska said.

The program is partially funded by Terletska’s NSF CAREER grant and from the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. As program coordinator, she conducts weekly workshops for students and reviews their applications for NSF REU, grad school and SULI awards.

Physics lecturer Neda Naseri and Mathematical Sciences professor Wandi Ding assist Terletska in coordinating the program.

The students presented their research during the recent Scholars Week events.

Physics and biochemistry double major Monika Fouad of Antioch, Tenn. — Monika Fouad

Fouad’s quest

Antioch, Tennessee, resident Monika Fouad, 22, is collaborating with Nicastro and mentor Terletska on a project “to simulate how disorder affects materials, specifically the Anderson Localization Transition, which refers to the phrase transition between conductor to simulator,” Fouad said

She added that Amplify “gave me the skills and direction to reach my goals as an undergraduate student through various workshops and hands-on research.” She added that graduate school “is the next big step I have to take for personal and intellectual development. It is an opportunity to set myself apart amongst academics and pursue my interest in physics.”

Computer Science major Kendra Givens Murfreesboro, Tenn. — Kendra Givens

Givens’ goals

The current Amplify research for Kendra Givens, 23, a Murfreesboro, Tennessee, resident, “involves trying to induce abstract reasoning into multiagent systems and working with Carnegie Mellon in robotic cloth manipulation,” she said. Givens is mentored by associate professor Joshua Phillips.

Givens said she is “extremely grateful to Dr. Terletska for the opportunities and mentorship she has provided in this program. Amplify has been instrumental in helping me go to graduate school, which is an amazing opportunity for me to continue working in academia and contributing to deep learning.”

Physics major Pratanna Thamsorn, 21, of Smyrna, Tenn., — Pratanna Thamsorn

Thamsorn’s drive

Amplify research for Pratanna Thamsorn, 21, of Smyrna, Tennessee, involves “tackling the problem of unwanted background noise in scientific data, which can distort our measurements. We’re using advanced computer techniques, like machine learning, to clean up this noise from neutron scattering data, improving the quality of our scientific analysis.”

Thamsorn said the Oak Ridge National Laboratory internship is “an incredible milestone for me, especially as a first-generation college student navigating a competitive and rigorous field of study. Despite doubting myself throughout my college years, being accepted makes the hard work, tears and stress I’ve endured all worth it.”

Professional physics major Ariel Nicastro, 20, of Franklin, Tennessee, — Ariel Nicastro

Nicastro’s quantum pursuit

Mentored by Terletska, Ariel Nicastro, 20, of Franklin, Tennessee, said her research project — under the broad category of quantum nanophotonics — is experimental, using a special microscopy —“a technique that fires an electron beam rather than light to characterize material properties. I will examine properties … used to manipulate optical wavefronts. I will then apply this enhanced understanding to photon emitters.” At Oak Ridge, she will be mentored by research scientist Ben Lawrie.

Nicastro said the program “provided me … with an opportunity for paid research and biweekly research workshops. Without the program and my quantum materials research project, I doubt I would have felt as confident as I do now in pursuing my interests in quantum research. I feel better prepared to conduct research and become a more active participant in the field of science thanks to the Amplify program.”

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)