Dan Salazar-Gallegos is a 3rd year physics grad student in high energy physics where he studies dark matter using cosmic gamma-rays + neutrinos  with the HAWC +IceCube experiments. He is also the Vice President of  WaMPS. Dan talks about his undergraduate involvement in both physics and  sociology research labs, involvement with diversity, equity, and  inclusion, and the many traveling adventures he has gone on!

To keep up to date with WaMPS updates, you can follow @msuwamps on Instagram and Facebook. If you would like to learn more about graduate school in physics and astronomy at MSU, check out their website here.

If you would like to leave comments, questions, or recommend someone to be interviewed on Journeys of Scientists, you can email  Bryan at [email protected]

Xandria Quichocho (she/her/hers) is a Black + Chamorro physicist  recently graduated with a B.S. in Physics from Texas State University and is currently pursuing her Physics Ph.D. at Michigan State University. Her main undergraduate research focuses on how the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality interact with women of color and LGBTQ+ women’s identity as physicists.

To keep up to date with WaMPS updates, you can follow @msuwamps on Instagram and Facebook. If you would like to learn more about graduate school in physics and astronomy at MSU, check out their website here.

If you would like to leave comments, questions, or recommend someone to be interviewed on Journeys of Scientists, you can email Bryan  at [email protected]

Mejdi is a second year graduate student in the Chemistry department at MSU. He does nuclear chemistry in the NSCL/FRIB, blurring the lines of chemistry and physics. His work currently involves using the technique of Total Absorption Spectroscopy (TAS) to study how excited states in 73Ni are populated from the beta decay of 73Co. Listen to Mejdi's journeys which include choosing nuclear chemistry over economics, navigating community college, undergrad, and grad school, research lab experiences, and getting involved with Jiu-Jitsu. 

To keep up to date with WaMPS updates, you can follow @msuwamps on Instagram and Facebook. If you would like to learn more about graduate school in physics and astronomy at MSU, check out their website here. 

If you would like to leave comments, questions, or recommend someone to be interviewed on Journeys of Scientists, you can email Bryan at [email protected]

Devyn Cantu am a sixth year physics graduate student at MSU working with the  IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a detector designed to observe neutrinos  from astrophysical sources within the universe. She searches for neutrino sources within our galaxy that extend a few degrees across the sky. Devyn also talks about some of her high adrenaline experiences and hobbies such as flying airplanes, riding motorcycles, and skydiving. 

To keep up to date with WaMPS updates, you can follow @msuwamps on Instagram and Facebook.

If you would like to leave comments, questions, or recommend someone to be interviewed on Journeys of Scientists, you can email Bryan at [email protected]

This week we are joined by Ariana Hernandez. She is a second year masters student in the entomology department at MSU studying spotted wind drosophila, a sister species of the common fruit fly. She is also a cohost of the BugTalk podcast, which is led by members in the MSU entomology department, so be sure to check that out! This is a really fun conversation. Enjoy!

You can find Bug Talk on Twitter and Instagram @bugtalkpodcast or check out their website here.

To keep up to date with WaMPS updates, you can follow @msuwamps on Instagram and Facebook.

If you would like to leave comments, questions, or recommend someone to be interviewed on Journeys of Scientists, you can email Bryan at [email protected]

Alison Peisker is a 5th year grad student studying particle astrophysics. She works on a gamma ray observatory, taking data from a neutrino observatory and looking for coincidences in gamma rays from already detected neutrinos. We’ll learn about Alison’s interests which include music and knitting. Alison will also talk about her experiences adapting and growing through grad school, and how that has influenced some of her career goals.

To keep up to date with WaMPS updates, you can follow @msuwamps on Instagram and Facebook.

If you would like to leave comments, questions, or recommend someone  to be interviewed on Journeys of Scientists, you can email Bryan at  [email protected]

This week, we hear from Cristhian González Ortiz. Cristhian is a second-year physics grad student at MSU working on the first design of a storage ring, as an upgrade to FRIB (Facility for Rare Isotope Beams). They are looking at how this addition would further enhance the  capacity of FRIB to perform nuclear experiments.

Listen to Cristhian's many journeys, which include moving to Michigan from Colombia, getting involved with Comunidad Latinoamericana and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, pursuing physics and mechanical engineering, and finding a good work-life balance. Cristhian and Bryan talk about social events outside of physics, hobbies, and how not all physicists are bad at sports!

In this episode, Cristhian talks about his involvement with the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) and  Comunidad Latinoamericana (CLA).

You can follow CLACS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @msuclacs or visit their website: https://clacs.isp.msu.edu/

You can follow CLA  on Facebook, Instagram @comunidadmsu or visit their website: https://comunidadmsu.wixsite.com/comunidad-msu

To keep up to date with WaMPS updates, you can follow @msuwamps on Instagram and Facebook. 

If you would like to leave comments, questions, or recommend someone to be interviewed on Journeys of Scientists, you can email Bryan at [email protected]

Jessie Micallef is a fifth year graduate student in Physics and CMSE at MSU. Her research is with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory detecting a  fundamental particle, called neutrinos, from the atmosphere and space. She works on using machine learning to improve their ability to measure  neutrinos in their detector. Jessie also talks about her many hobbies, which include filmmaking, Jiu-Jitsu, comic cons, outreach, and more!

Jessie is also starting a video project called Portrait of a Scientist that plans to highlight diversity in STEM! The  project is a video montage that aims to deconstruct stereotypes about what a scientist looks and acts like and demystify who can be a  scientist. It relies on community submitted videos and images that complete the phrase "I am a scientist  and I also..." Ideally, there will be multiple montages posted on their YouTube channel highlighting specific categories, but this depends on participation! Please consider sharing part of your portrait with them!  Everyone at all stages of their career (undergrad, grad, postdocs,  faculty) are encouraged to participate!

Please upload a video or picture (holding a sign) that completes the phrase "I am I scientist and I also..." You can get as creative as you want and do as many phrases as you want! Some ideas for ways to finish the phrase are below and there are examples  at: https://www.facebook.com/PortraitOfAScientist. Don't worry about the editing. The final product will be subject to  editing with the aim to maximize impact and diversity, so please recognize while we appreciate all submissions, not all of them may make  the final cut.  They would love to show many different faces in this video, but they also understand some people's need for  anonymity, so feel free to cover your face with your sign, use a bitmoji, or sit in shadow if you feel more comfortable that way!

You can submit your video via this google form or via email ([email protected]) by Sept 25, to be included in the first round of montages. They will keep your name anonymous unless you otherwise note that we can include it in the credits!

Please direct any questions to Jessie at [email protected] and we look forward to seeing your submissions!

To keep up to date with WaMPS updates, you can follow @msuwamps on Instagram and Facebook.

Laura Wood is a fourth year grad student in the physics education research lab at MSU. She works in supporting and understanding the experiences of transfer students in natural science majors from two-year colleges to four-year colleges, specifically examining students' self-efficacy beliefs/experiences and the impacts of cohort programs.

Listen to Laura's experiences growing up in Washington, attending a small undergraduate school in Seattle, and adjusting to a large graduate school in Michigan. Laura and Bryan also talk about overcoming struggles in grad school, finding communities to get involved with, and provide suggestions for those starting or thinking about pursuing graduate school.

In the podcast, we mention another podcast, BugTalk, which is created by folks at the MSU Entomology Department. Bee sure to sure to give them a listen and follow @bugtalkpodcast on Instagram and Twitter.

To stay up to date with WaMPS events, be sure to follow @msuwamps on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Cami is a second-year graduate student in the Physics Education Research Lab at MSU. Her current research focus is on students of Color with transfer credits earning STEM degrees at MSU. Her previous research focus has been gender studies using statistical analysis.

Listen to Cami's journeys which include switching from a life of biology to grad school for physics, living in Colombia, Florida, and not Michigan, and putting herself out there to meet new people and build relationships.

To stay up to date with WaMPS events, be sure to follow @msuwamps on Instagram and like us on Facebook.