Co-Presidents (Fall 2020)
Shoumik Chowdhury (SY 2021)
Shoumik is a senior Mathematics and Physics major in Saybrook. He is broadly interested in quantum information science, and works on both applied theoretical and experimental research. Outside of physics, though, he enjoys reading novels, woodworking, and listening to music, as well as meeting new people (and sharing memes with them)!
Email: shoumik.chowdhury@yale.edu
Laura Zhou (BF 2022)
Laura is a junior in Benjamin Franklin College. She's majoring in physics, and potentially as well in electrical engineering. Her research interests lie broadly in AMO and quantum information. In her free time, you can find her drawing, reading manga, and hopelessly trying to develop a green thumb.
Email: laura.zhou@yale.edu
Board Members
Amanda Butler (JE 2022)
Amanda is a junior double majoring in Physics and Astronomy. She’s really excited to join the SPS board for this upcoming year, and looks forward to finding new ways of connecting Yale’s awesome physics resources with the greater campus community. During the few moments when she’s not doing p-sets, you can find Amanda cooking an unnecessary number of egg dishes, procrastinating via playlists, napping, or spontaneously beatboxing in the middle of conversations.
Giovanna Truong (MY 2023)
Outreach Co-Chair Giovanna is a sophomore this year. She is a juggler and a cartoonist, and she met everyone in the Physics Department through her work in the Yale Daily News. She is also a proud/the only member of Harris Labs Midwest. She loves, in addition to learning physics and talking to people, printing at the JE Press — but she would love it more if she could find any umlauts!
Olivia Aspegren (BF 2023)
Olivia is a sophomore in Benjamin Franklin College, majoring in Mathematics and Physics. She’s from Palo Alto, California, where few people actually own a winter jacket. Outside of physics, Olivia plays on Yale’s Club Tennis team, and enjoys running, reading science fiction and eating cookie dough in Franklin’s buttery.
Shantanu Jha (SY 2021)
Shantanu is a senior in Saybrook studying Math and Physics, with a particular affinity for quantum computation. He has research experience in terahertz telecommunication with quantum cascade lasers, quantum information theory, deep learning and superconducting circuit quantum computing. Outside of the lab, he enjoys woodworking, riddles, and all manner of media entertainment (from anime to international film).
David Saunders (HC 2023)
David is a sophomore from Toronto, Ontario planning on majoring in Astrophysics and potentially Film Studies. David is a Hopper College Aide and a part of the YUAA. In his free time, he loves writing, watching movies, stargazing, and playing basketball with his friends in Hopper!
Dawson Thomas (ES 2023)
Dawson is a rising sophomore in Ezra Stiles College (Go Moose!). He is a prospective physics or physics and mathematics major. He's from the Atlanta, GA area, which is where he will be doing his online classes this fall. In his spare time, his hobbies include music, hiking, and reading. He's super excited to serve as your SPS co-outreach chair, and he's aiming to increase involvement from younger classes and to help SPS share the joy of physics with our broader communities. Feel free to reach out with ideas and suggestions! He's looking forward to making the absolute most of this unique semester with y'all!
Jessie Chen
Jessie is a sophomore in Davenport majoring in physics and computer science. Her research interest broadly includes quantum information and particle physics. Outside of physics, you can find Jessie taking random photographs, reading and proposing crazy ideas about our universe and what to eat for dessert, or settling a feud with her little brother on PUBG.
Vuong Mai (MC 2021)
Vuong is a senior majoring in Physics & Geology, and she'd love to ramble to anyone interested in hearing about the joint geophysics program. This summer, she's gotten the chance to do some gardening, make playlists, paint, and spend time in the great outdoors. This year, Vuong will be working on her thesis in the Paleomag Lab, as well as continuing her summer project relating to geophysical inverse problems. She looks forward to getting to know everyone in the SPS this year!
Yiming Zhang (BF 2022)
Yiming is a junior in Franklin majoring in physics. He is currently a student researcher at Jack Harris lab, where he works on non-hermitian physics and quantum optomechanics. Outside physics, you can find Yiming singing as a tenor in the Yale Glee Club, taking random staged photographs, or attempting to recreate delicacies from his hometown in northwest China.