Summer 2026 in review: On the move with WVU Physics and Astronomy

New Additions and New Roles

Our units welcomed two new staff members over the course of the summer! We are so excited to have them on our team to kick off the new academic year. Join us in welcoming:

• Heather Chancey, Business and Academic Operations Professional (Department of Physics and Astronomy)
• Ashlea Stover, Senior Project Manager (Center for Excellence in STEM Education)

Successful Dissertations

Two of our graduate students successfully defended their dissertations this summer. We’re extremely proud (and, of course, a little sad to see them go!). Congratulations, Alex and Danielle!

• July 2: Aleksandra Abova-Volkova, "Energy Partition and Heating Mechanisms in Asymmetric Antiparallel Magnetic Reconnection” (Plasma and Space Physics)
• July 10: Danielle Maldonado, “I Think, Therefore I Can: Self-Efficacy, Self-Regulation, and Sense of Belonging in Introductory Physics” (Physics Education Research)

Academic Support Center

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is excited to announce the full opening of the P&A Academic Support Center, located in White Hall, Room 121. The Academic Support Center serves as a dedicated space for drop-in office hours for 100-level physics and astronomy courses. It offers an opportunity for students to work one-on-one with course lead instructors and graduate teaching assistants. Equipped with whiteboard tables, whiteboards, study spaces, and a wealth of learning resources, it is designed to improve undergraduate student learning. View the schedule of hours!

Conferences and Research

• In late May, Professor Ned Flagg and Professor Alan Bristow joined 9 students at the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics in Charlotte, North Carolina. Students who attended include Maggie Emig, Will Eshbaugh, Daniel McBride, Ankit Poudel, Janessa Slone, Juan del Castillo Valencia, Braden Warr, and Seth Woodwyk. Will Eshbaugh gave a talk, while Seth Woodwyk presented a poster. The conference included a visit to Discovery Place Science, a science museum in Charlotte, for the reception.
• Several graduate students (Victoria Blackmon, Tim Faerber, Jordan O'Kelley, Susie Paine, and Sloane Sirota) spent three weeks at Green Bank Observatory for the summer Grads in Residence program. During the program, they were provided office space in the GBO Lab to work on their research as visiting scientists. They had the opportunity to meet GBO staff, attend on-site social events, and present their research in science lunch talks.

• The plasma physics research group traveled to the 26th Topical Conference on High Temperature Plasma Diagnostics (HTPD) in June. Hosted by the MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Center, the conference gathered researchers from a range of institutions to discuss the development of instrumentation, experimental and analytical techniques, and machine learning for a range of fusion-related topics. Group members who attended include: Gustavo Elias Bartolo, Erick Diaz, Krishan Kumar, Jacob Lord, Professor Jacob McLaughlin, Makesi Pantor, Thomas Rood, Samuel Stalnaker, and Dr. Katey Stevenson.

• Professor Earl Scime visited Kagoshima, Japan for the US-Japan Workshop on Magnetic Reconnection. Kagoshima is the ancestral home of Saigō Takamori, a key figure in Japanese history and regarded as the last samurai. Carrying the Mountaineer spirit across the Pacific, Prof. Scime collaborated with researchers from around the world to push the boundaries of plasma science. 

• Professor Duncan Lorimer FRS traveled to the University of Oxford to deliver the prestigious 31st Hintze Public Lecture. Generously funded by the Hintze Family Charitable Foundation, this lecture series highlights the most significant contemporary developments in astrophysics and cosmology. Speaking to an audience at the Martin Wood Complex and viewers streaming worldwide via Zoom, Professor Lorimer presented his talk, "The Brightest Pulses In The Universe." Reflecting on nearly two decades of research, Lorimer recounted the story of how the entire research field of fast radio bursts (FRBs) began at West Virginia University. The lecture highlighted major milestones in the field, explored how FRBs are now being used as unique probes of the large-scale structure of the Universe, and commented on the role of serendipity in science. Afterwards, Professor Lorimer and Professor Maura McLaughlin stayed at Christ Church, Oxford, and attended a dinner hosted by the Hintze family. The evening brought together department faculty, researchers, and the benefactors themselves, Lord and Lady Hintze. Among the guests was Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the legendary discoverer of the first radio pulsars. 

• Members of Professor Subhasish Mandal’s research group traveled to Madison, Wisconsin for the Electronic Structure Workshop 2026 (ESW 2026). There, graduate student Christopher Jacobs and Dr. Antik Sihi presented recent group research performed in collaboration with the Kawasaki research group at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Later, Jacobs traveled again to the Correlated Electron Systems Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). At the conference, he presented his poster, “A first-principles bottom-up approach to topological superconductivity with Fe-based high-temperature superconductors.” Of the experience, he wrote: “I had the opportunity to discuss my research with many experimentalists, who introduced me to a variety of material platforms for exploring similar physics. In addition, I attended several outstanding talks featuring cutting-edge, unpublished research presented by postdoctoral researchers and senior graduate students. I had a fantastic experience at the conference.”

• Professor Giulia Murtas and graduate student Dipanwita Misra traveled to the Solar Heliospheric and INterplanetary Environment (SHINE) Workshop 2026, held in Madison, Wisconsin. SHINE focuses upon the connection between events and phenomena on the Sun and their relation to solar wind structures in the inner heliosphere and aims at strengthening the connections within the solar and heliospheric communities.

• Professor Micky Holcomb, along with graduate students Femi Akinrinola and Raj Bhandari, traveled to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California to work on magnetic thin films and NASA devices.

• In June 2026, some of the Goodrich Group traveled to Embry Riddle University in Daytona Beach, FL, to the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission Conference. Graduate students Nilay Ghalsasi and Rush Patil, Dr. Sky Shaver, and Professor Katy Goodrich presented their research on magnetic reconnection and magnetospheric electric fields to the wider space community.

• Professor Giulia Murtas attended the 46th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, held in Italy, Florence, for the first time since 1964. While there, she also had the opportunity to meet the Italian astronaut Andrea Patassa. 

• Several department members, including Swarali Patil, Tyler Thomas, and Victoria Blackmon traveled to the 248th American Astronomical Society (AAS) Summer Meeting in Pasadena, California in mid-June. They had the opportunity to attend several talks, in addition to each giving talks on their own work. Swarali and Tyler gave research-contributed talks, while Victoria gave a dissertation-contributed talk on “Modeling the Eclipses of the Double Pulsar System.” Regarding his talk, Tyler said: "Presenting at AAS was an incredible experience. It felt great to not only share the work we are doing at the WVU Planetarium, but to learn from other professionals and students how we can better serve our audiences. I met countless incredible people and returned home with new ideas for the Planetarium and my own research. AAS opened up my eyes to research I didn't even know existed!"

• Graduate students Susie Paine and Sloane Sirota joined Professor Duncan Lorimer FRS in attending Fast Radio Burst (FRB) 2026 in Guiyang, China. The conference provided an international forum to discuss the latest advancements in fast radio burst science and network with global collaborators. Following the meeting, Lorimer traveled to Beijing to present a colloquium and meet with research students at the National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC). Meanwhile, Sloane and Susie took a tourist’s detour to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors, and to Beijing to visit the Forbidden City and Tianenmen Square.

• Graduate students Baishali Mandal and Peter Adeyemo attended the Center for Theory of Emergent Quantum Matter (CTEQ) 2026 Summer School on “Quantum Simulations of Strongly Correlated Quantum Matter” in July at Penn State University. They added lectures from Dr. Shubhayu Chatterjee from Carnegie Mellon University, Dr. Emily Davis from NYU, Dr. Anushya Chandran from Boston University, Dr. Waseem Bakr from Princeton University, Dr. Abhinav Kandala from IBM, Dr. Brian Skinner from Ohio State University, and Dr. Srivastan Chakram from Rutgers University. Additionally, they attended informative and highly interactive sessions throughout the day. “We had an interesting time learning loads of condensed matter theory topics with futuristic applications for quantum computing,” Peter explained. “[My biggest takeaways] were from lectures on open quantum systems, which have direct applications in the kind of research I am interested in.”

• Graduate students Letícia Alano and Amanda Nemeth joined Professor Gay Stewart, Professor John Stewart, and staff member Ben Lukk in Pasadena, California for the American Association of Physics Teachers Conference. Both Letícia and Amanda presented at the conference, while Dr. Gay Stewart hosted a workshop: “Deepening Students’ Conceptual Understanding of Energy Transfers.” They also had the opportunity to connect with PE-CAP collaborators from Ohio State University and Michigan State University.

• Dr. Catherine Regan and graduate student Annie Kate Turner traveled to the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) 2026 conference at the Fukuoka International Congress Centre in Japan. At the conference, Dr. Regan gave a talk titled “Energy Transfer via Wave-Particle Interactions at Mars: Statistical Study over 10 Years of MAVEN Data,” while Annie Kate presented a poster on her research in the Fowler plasma and space physics research group. They also reconnected with Zhi Gu "Patrick" Li, a 2025 graduate of our PhD program. The two spent additional time in Japan sightseeing, including a visit to the Fukuoka Art Museum before catching a bullet train to Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. They visited the Osaka Castle, several temples and shrines, and made time to visit Tokyo Disney Sea!

• Professor Alan Bristow served as the organizer of a conference hosted in Warren, Vermont in August: Fundamental Optical Processes in Semiconductors (FOPS) 2026. It is the 10th conference in the series and was sponsored by West Virginia University, University of Michigan, Thorlabs, the U.S. Army Research Office, Coherent, Inc., and MONSTR Sense Technologies. Graduate students Will Eshbaugh, Juan Del Castillo Valencia, Braden Warr, and Seth Woodwyk joined Professor Bristow and Professor Ned Flagg in Vermont.

Camps and Outreach

• Professor Ned Flagg and Professor Alan Bristow hosted the 3rd Quantum Summer School program in late May. The program welcomed 17 participants from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, and West Virginia, largely from community colleges and primarily undergraduate institutions. Throughout the week, attendees explored the fundamentals of quantum computing, from interactive qubit games to running basic algorithms on cloud-based quantum systems. Participants also toured several research labs in White Hall, explored the White Hall classroom laboratories, and experienced a day of hiking and sightseeing at Coopers Rock State Forest. QSS 2026 was made possible thanks to the dedication of faculty, staff, and student volunteers – thank you to all who helped! 
• WVU graduate students Katelyn Bryant, Carey Felius, and Ellie White served as mentors at the 2026 Pulsar Science Collaboratory / STARS-UP joint camp. Carey and Katelyn led a group of students studying pulsar scintillation using data from the 20-meter telescope, and Ellie led a demonstration on how to build a small loop antenna for solar flare detection. The camp was a wonderful opportunity for high school and undergraduate students as well as mentors to experience real-world pulsar research at the Green Bank Observatory under the mentorship of experts like Professor Maura McLaughlin, all while enjoying activities like site tours, group hikes, blueberry picking, tie-dying, and more. 
• "The Physics of Anime" made its East Coast debut at Pittsburgh's Tekko Anime Convention in July, hosted by Roman Gomez (Southwest Research Institute), Professor Katy Goodrich, and Dr. Skylar Shaver. An audience gathered in the early morning to discuss space exploration and space weather, particle physics, and electromagnetism, all using the versatile medium of Japanese animation. The discussion was lively and entertaining for all!

Out and About

• In June, members of the WVU Astronomy Club, the Society of Physics Students (SPS), and summer Astrophysics & Plasma Physics REU students banded together for a trip to the Green Bank Observatory for a weekend of exploring and observing the stars. Given access to the forty-foot telescope, many students were able to collect their own observations of various astronomical objects. There were also tours of the site and several additive learning experiences, each dedicated to building an understanding of the work performed at Green Bank and its significance. Students were able to view an incredible night sky without the light pollution typically seen. Some enjoyed bike rides and hikes in the surrounding area, offering a chance to experience the beautiful natural landscape of West Virginia. It was an incredible learning and bonding experience for the attendees!

• Graduate student Jacob Lord kicked off the summer by attending NORDITA's "Synergies Between Astrophysical, Space, Laboratory, and Fusion Plasma Physics" in Stockholm. Then, he traveled to Cambridge, MA with the Scime group for HTPD 2026 at MIT. At both, he presented about the use of 3D Thomson scattering to study helicon plasmas in the PHAse Space MApping (PHASMA) experiment. After a well-deserved break in Maine on a short vacation with his parents to relax at a lake, Jacob returned to Morgantown and got back to work on his 3D Thomson scattering experiments to study electron heating in helicon plasmas, which he hopes will soon result in a publication. Best of luck, Jacob!
  

• The Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology once again hosted the Astrophysics & Plasma Physics REU program on campus. Students were given a glimpse into the exciting research opportunities available through GWAC, the University, and the broader astrophysics community. Many thanks to the organizers and volunteers who made the event possible!

• Professor Subhasish Mandal had quite an eventful summer! To kick it off, he attended the Emerging New Phases in Quantum Materials workshop at the Aspen Center of Physics in Colorado. While his family joined him to experience the breathtaking landscape of the Rockies, academic reality quickly set in; Prof. Mandal spent his “breaks” hidden in a lodge corner, revising grant proposals and answering student emails. During the trip, he also reconnected with old friends from graduate school and postdoctoral friends to share research and career updates. Despite the workload, he carved out time for personal highlights: an afternoon hike or bikeriding, eating ice cream, and capturing the scenery through landscape photography. Most of all, he thoroughly enjoyed riding his bike to the Aspen Center every morning.
  
  In July, Prof. Mandal traveled to the desert of Tucson, Arizona to attend the 32nd Annual Cottrell Scholars Conference. Amidst the intense heat, he officially joined the incoming 2026 cohort of scholars and presented a short talk detailing his educational plan for quantum physics. The highlight of the trip was the “Teaching and Research with AI” workshop, where he experimented with artificial intelligence tools as research collaborators. Between sessions and hallway chats, Prof. Mandal built valuable new connections with fellow scientists, culminating in a celebratory reception where he proudly received his Cottrell Scholar award memento.

• Graduate student Tim Faerber traveled to Greece for the Olympian Symposium, where he presented a poster on his published research, "Expansion Signatures in 35 HII Regions Traced by SOFIA [CII] Emission." On the way, he stopped in Germany to give a talk on his research at the University of Cologne and visited the Effelsberg 100-meter Radio Telescope, the second-largest steerable single-dish radio telescope in the world. Just two weeks later, he was at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia for a graduate student residency, home to the world's largest steerable single-dish radio telescope. It's been a summer of sharing research, meeting collaborators, and visiting some of the world's most impressive astronomy facilities and beautiful sights! 

Our summer in pictures