Faculty Research
Our faculty are actively involved in exciting research from a variety of areas in Physics and Astronomy. We cultivate engaging research experiences with students, the community, and beyond.
If you have any questions or are interested in exploring with us, contact us!
Current Research Topics
Sarah Formica, Ph.D. and professor of physics, initiated the grant application following her successful implementation of the Learning Assistant (LA) program. The LA program introduces students to physics education as a career path through one-on-one training with a professor, helping other students and learning about pedagogy.
Abby Ledford worked on a fluid dynamics research project under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Bunton, head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at 大象传媒.
Amanda Ash and Jessica Hamilton presented research about starspots at the "20th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems and the Sun" in Boston. They talked about the properties of starspots, computer models created to mimic stars and starspots and the comparison between the computer models and observational data collected from real-time stars.
Dr. Greg Feiden is collaborating with Dr. Wei-Chun Jao, staff astronomer and adjunct professor at Georgia State University, to understand new features they have uncovered about the relationship between a star's brightness and color among the smallest stars.
They wrote and in the Astronomical Journal highlighting their discoveries. Their paper was on the (AAS) , which highlights important papers published in
The fluid dynamics lab gives students hands-on experience replicating experiments, conducting new ones and building their research skills which prepares them to work in other labs.
Mateo Valera completed a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at Colorado University-Boulder. Valera worked on creating visualizations of occultations, in which objects in the sky are larger than the objects they block, through OpenSpace software. The project at Colorado came after Valera's research with Dr. Gregory Feiden,
Suzy Steel and Rebecca Corley were selected to participate in the Council on Undergraduate Research's Posters on the Hill. They got to present their research to the U.S. Congress which focuses on collisions between electrons and different nuclei. The two study the collisions and the particle debris field through computer simulations.
Evolution of Galaxies
Amanda Moffett, Ph.D., is researching to understand how galaxies form, growing and changing throughout the history of the universe. Dr. Moffett uses images from research-class telescopes as well as large datasets from galaxy surveys to measure how galaxy structures evolve and change due to their environments.
Planetary Nebulae
Francisco Guzman Fulgencio, Ph.D., studies the remains of dead stars, called Planetary Nebulae, to determine how some of the heavy elements of the periodic table were established. Life on Earth needs many elements of the periodic table in the proportions we find in our solar system. But how did these proportions come to be and how do they change in other stars or galaxies? Dr. Guzman’s work uses telescopes, such as those at 大象传媒 (North Georgia Astronomical Observatory), to look at how the universe evolved, the creation of the solar system, and the possibilities of life beyond it.
Stars
Gregory Feiden, Ph.D., uses computer models to understand the smallest stars. Small stars are of high interest in the search for habitable planets as they are numerous and long-lived. Dr. Feiden investigates the physics beneath the surface of small stars that affects their likelihood of hosting planets, including convection, electron-plasma waves, magnetic fields, star spots, and rotation. Students working with Dr. Feiden can explore their own curiosity and have searched for hot Jupiter planets using 大象传媒’s North Georgia Astronomical Observatory, which Dr. Feiden directs. Students have also measured wind strengths of massive stars, predicted dangerous solar flares with machine learning, and investigated stars identified as potential candidates for hosting Dyson Spheres.
Machine Learning Applications in Physics
Dilina Perera, Ph.D., conducts research on using computer simulations and computational methods (such as Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics, and machine learning) to understand the behavior of complex systems, particularly those encountered in condensed matter physics, including magnetic materials, polymers, and spin glasses.
Dr. Perera’s research also explores applied and interdisciplinary topics, including physics-inspired optimization methods and machine learning applications to a variety of problems in physics and astronomy. Students involved gain hands-on experience with high-performance computing, data analytics, and machine learning skills that apply to work in academia or industry.
Coding Heavy Element Synthesis
Francisco Guzman Fulgencio, Ph.D., uses computational methods to tackle astrophysics problems. He studies the remains of dead stars, called Planetary Nebulae, to determine how some of the heavy elements of the periodic table were established. Life on Earth needs many elements of the periodic table in the proportions we find in our solar system, but how did these proportions come to be and how do they change in other stars or galaxies?
Those involved in the research team develop the spectral simulation code Cloudy to perform simulation of the emission of these nebulae and compare them with the observations, looking at how the universe evolved, the creation of the solar system, and the possibilities of life beyond it.
Bio-Inspired Geotechnics
Seth Mallett, Ph.D., takes inspiration from biology to mimic and transfer biological principles onto engineering solutions related to soil and rock. Bio-inspired geotechnics is a powerful design methodology because users can look to nature’s massive repertoire of