BiyOSeF

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Faculty

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

Roland Kummer is a Double Degree Grad Student (Mechatronics and Engineering Physics) from Austria. He is working on his master thesis where he systematically studies the transmission of entangled photons through various gases.

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 a biology major with a concentration in cellular and molecular biology and minors in public health and chemistry. She conducts research using optical tweezers and position detection. Outside the lab, she volunteers at the Hospitality House. After she graduates in May 2025, she will attend VCU School of Pharmacy.

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

Clara Lopez is an undergraduate physics student with a concentration in applied physics. In the
lab, Clara is working on the Raman Spectroscopy setup. Out of the lab, Clara enjoys crocheting,
knitting, skateboarding, hiking, and listening to music.

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 an undergraduate Physics and Mathematics major. He works on the Laser Tweezers Raman Spectroscopy (LTRS) apparatus studying the applications of Raman Spectroscopy, as well as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. Outside of physics and math he plays guitar, writes music, and appreciates film and art. 

Alan Schneider

schneideraj2@appstate.edu

Alan Schneider is a junior pursuing an undergraduate degree in physics with a concentration in astronomy. After graduation, he plans on pursuing a masters in engineering physics. Outside of the classroom, Alan spends time with his friends, snowboarding, and doing 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.