BiyOSeF

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Faculty

Brooke Hester

Dr. Brooke Hester

Associate Professor
hesterbc@appstate.edu
(828) 262-6550
211 Garwood Hall (GWH)

Brooke Hester is an Associate Professor in the Physics & Astronomy Department who specializes in confocal and fluorescence microscopy and optical tweezers. Dr. Hester received her Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Maryland – College Park in 2010.

Graduate Student

Sabina Gomes

gomess@appstate.edu

Roland Kummer

kummerr@appstate.edu

Victoria Whidden

whiddenv@appstate.edu

Victoria, a senior physics major (B.S. 2024) pursuing a master's in Engineering Physics, is driven by her passion for applying physics principles to hands-on research. She works with the Optical Tweezers and focuses on instrument precision for manipulating gold nanoshells in order to do data analysis on forces. Victoria also contributes to the NC NASA Space Grant, collecting data to support CubeSat-based space exploration. Beyond her academic and research interests, she enjoys outdoor adventures like hiking and exploration.

Undergraduate Student

Grace Alvanos

alvanosge@appstate.edu

Grace Alvanos is an undergraduate biology major with a concentration in cellular and molecular biology. After graduation she plans to obtain a Master’s degree in Molecular Medicine, and later pursue a Doctor of Medicine (MD).

Jack Chaisson

chaissonjp@appstate.edu

Jack Chaisson is a junior pursuing an undergraduate degree in Physics with a concentration in Applied Physics. In the lab Jack is working on a Raman Spectroscopy Setup and a new Optical Tweezer Setup. Outside of the lab Jack enjoys photography, the outdoors, soccer, and skateboarding.

Blake Heckenlaible

heckenlaiblejb@appstate.edu

Blake Heckenlaible is a 3rd year undergraduate majoring in physics and
mathematics. Blake’s focus in the lab is investigating the thermal impacts of
optically trapped metallic nanoshells. Specifically, his research aims to develop
a model describing the temperature of a trapped nanoshell as a function of
trapping wavelength. After graduation, Blake plans to pursue a Ph.D. in high
energy physics. Outisde of school, Blake enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, and
listening to music.

Clara Lopez

lopezca2@appstate.edu

John Rabb

rabbj@appstate.edu

John, a junior who is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Physics. Planning to graduate in the spring of 2025, John plans on entering the workforce after graduation. He works in the quantum optics lab and is experimenting with photon entanglement. Outside of the lab John likes to watch football, fish, and hang out with friends and family.

Asher Rockriver

rockriverae@appstate.edu

Asher Rockriver is a sophomore pursuing an undergraduate physics degree in the physics concentration. He plans to pursue a PhD in theoretical physics after finishing his degree. Outside of physics he plays guitar, writes music, and appreciates film and art. 

Chloe Thompson

thompsonca3@appstate.edu

Chloe Thompson is a first year undergraduate physics major. She is currently working on incorporating a tunable lens into the BiyOSeF optical tweezers. She presented a poster at SNCURCS in the fall of 2023.