SOCIETY OF PHYSICS STUDENTS
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Meet The Officers!
Kate Sturge
Co-President
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Kate is a senior at the University of Maryland, pursuing double degrees in Physics and Astronomy. Her research interests include high energy physics and nuclear physics, and she plans to pursue these fields in graduate school next year. Kate is an active tutor and mentor within the UMD community, and is the Undergraduate Engagement Officer for UMD’s Women in Physics. In her free time, she enjoys reading and playing with her dogs, Ginny Weasley and Danny Dogvito.
Ela Rockafellow
Co-President
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Ela Rockafellow is an undergraduate senior physics major at UMD. She’s interested in intense laser matter interactions, which includes research in plasma physics and optical science, and works as a research assistant under Dr. Howard Milchberg. She is also very passionate about teaching (she works as a TA and SPS tutor) and working in improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in physics (she helped organize CU2MiP and is working with Kate Sturge to launch UMD’s first Diversity in Physics course). Her other interests include drawing, painting, backpacking, and riding/competing horses.
Bryan Rezende
Public Outreach and Social Chair
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After having studied business at UMD, Bryan Rezende has recently returned to study physics and pursue a career in STEM. His passion for science has never waned and this past school year he has worked on projects involving tetraquark resonance states and neutrino point source detection. Determined to foster a more inclusive and equitable space for undergraduates in the physics department, Bryan has stepped up to the role of Outreach Coordinator for the 2021-2022 academic year with plans to effect real change.
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David Bour
Tutoring Chair
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David is a junior at the University of Maryland, going for a double degree in Physics and Astronomy with a minor in Classical Mythology. In the future, David hopes to do astrophysical simulation work. This is David’s second year tutoring with SPS, and his first as the Tutoring Chair. In his free time, David likes to watch his favourite team, Manchester United, play, as well as reading most books he can get his hands on.
Ronan Hix
Treasurer
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Ronan Hix is a Junior dual-degree student in physics and astronomy, with a minor in German. In addition to serving as the SPS treasurer, he is active with AstroTerps and the Physics Undergraduate Committee. He has undertaken research into cosmic air shower geometry with Dr. Andy Smith and the HAWC group and is currently involved in computational modeling investigations of star formation in giant molecular clouds under Dr. Massimo Ricotti. In his free time, he enjoys building scale models and Sci-Fi.
Scott Davis
Fundraising Chair
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Scott is a senior physics and astronomy major. His first experience with SPS was tutoring over zoom which made him want to get more involved with club. He assists Dr. Upadhyaya in her Biophysics lab which focuses on T-Cell force analysis. After undergrad he will be teaching at the Navy's Nuclear Power School for five years before hopefully getting admitted into a graduate program for medical physics.
Delina Levine
Communications Officer and Newsletter Coauthor
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Delina Levine is a junior at UMD pursuing a double degree in physics and astronomy, as well as a minor in piano performance. She is currently involved in research with high-energy astrophysics and gamma-ray bursts and hopes to continue with her work throughout her undergraduate studies. Outside of SPS, she is a member of UMD’s Women in Physics and Equity Constellation. When not working, she enjoys crafting and criticizing science fiction novels.
Gabriel Yerger
Webmaster and Newsletter Coauthor
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Gabe is a senior at the University of Maryland going for his B.S. in Physics. He is currently involved in leading a research team in the area of extended supersymmetry, and plans to explore this and other theoretical physics research in his graduate studies. In the meantime, you can find him hodling his crypto and snacking on some donuts and pizza.
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Donna Hammer
Chapter Advisor​
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Donna Hammer, M.Ed, is the Director of Education in the Department of Physics at the University of Maryland. She has served as the SPS chapter advisor for four years. Last spring, she was awarded the university-wide Outstanding Advisor for a Student Organization Award for her work with SPS. She is dedicated to student success. Hammer leads admissions and advising, instructional labs, and the lecture demonstration facility; outreach and public engagement; and diversity and inclusion initiatives and programs. Last fall, she co-led the first Conference for Undergraduate Underrepresented Minorities in Physics (CU2MIP) with NIST, which will be held again in October, 2017. She is also an instructor and a lead on the department’s NSF S-STEM program.