Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell is a Northern Irish astrophysicist who is credited with first discovering pulsars. Her thesis work included building a four-acre radio telescope to experimentally observed quasars which led to her becoming the first person to report the existence of pulsars, a Nobel Prize winning work. She has received many awards and is a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Fellow of the Royal Society, and a Fellow and Former president of the Royal Astronomical Society, and former president of the Institute of Physics.
Sandeep Giri
Sandeep Giri is an industrial physicist currently a (Google) X manager in advanced technology manufacturing engineering. Working at Mountain View, California, Mr. Giri primarily focuses on emerging technology development, materials engineering, fundamental analysis of manufacturing viability, and building end-end infrastructure. Before joining the google special projects team, he worked for Qualcomm on display technologies and solar technologies. Sandeep Giri has also served as a member of the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs.
John C. Mather
Dr. John C. Mather is a Senior Astrophysicist in the Observational Cosmology Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and 2006 Nobel Prize winner in Physics for his precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation using the COBE satellite. His research centers on infrared astronomy and cosmology and is the Senior Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope. Dr. Mather has received many awards and has worked with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Jami Valentine Miller
Dr. Jami Valentine Miller is a primary examiner for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and founder of AAWIP Inc, which celebrates African American Women in Physics. She was the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Physics from Johns Hopkins University, where she studied spintronics for use in memory applications. A strong advocate for outreach and career options, Dr. Valentine Miller has worked with the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and others to increase the awareness of underrepresented groups to physics and was honored by NSBP for her work with young scientists and outreach efforts.
Ellen D. Williams
Dr. Ellen D. Williams is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, recognized for her research in experimental surface science exploring fundamental issues in statistical mechanics and nanotechnology. She is now active in the field of clean energy innovation, following her roles as the former Chief Scientist at BP and Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy. Dr. Williams is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Physical Society, and American Vacuum Society.
William D. Phillips
Dr. William D. Phillips is an American physicist, Honorary Sigma Pi Sigma member, and Nobel prize winner. Dr. Phillips shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 with Steven Chu and Claude Cohen-Tannoudji for their contributions to laser cool. A graduate of Juniata College and MIT, Dr. Phillips joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 1978. Phillips is also a professor of physics, which is part of the University of Maryland College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at University of Maryland, College Park. He is also the recipient of the Richtmeyer Award of the AAPT, NIST Condon Award in 2002, and the Service to America Award - Career Achievement in 2006, among other honors. Dr. Phillips is a longtime friend of SPS and students across the US. Dr. Phillips will present a fantastic demo show on Friday night at 8:30 pm in room 166 of Barus and Holley at Brown University (walking distance) - 184 Hope Street, Providence, RI. A bus loop will also be available beginning at 6:45 pm from outside the convention center. Image care of Markus Possel.
Dean Hudak
Dean Hudek joined the physics department in 1989 as Director of Instructional Laboratories at Brown University. He is an active contributor to Advanced Lab through the American Association of Physics Teachers and a well-known builder and presenter of physics demonstrations. Dean will present a fantastic demo show on Thursday night at 7:30 pm in room 166 of Barus and Holley at Brown University (walking distance) - 184 Hope Street, Providence, RI. A bus loop will also be available beginning at 6:45 pm from outside the convention center.
S. Jim Gates
Supersymmetry expert S. James Gates, distinguished professor and Ford Foundation Professor of Physics at Brown University, will be featured as a Special guest speaker at the Saturday morning Visit with Brown University. His talk will begin at 8:30 am in the ERC at Brown University (walking distance from the convention center) 184 Hope Street, Providence, RI. A bus loop will also be available beginning at 7:00 am) from outside the convention center.