AIP Congressional Science Fellows

Connie Hsueh completed her PhD in Applied Physics at Stanford in experimental nanoelectronics. Her research focused on designing semiconductor quantum circuits to manipulate materials at the single-electron level. She is passionate about increasing diversity, equity, & inclusion in physics; STEM education & access; and research integrity. She also holds degrees from the University of Cambridge and Caltech. 

Emilie Benson completed her PhD in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania focusing on diffuse biomedical optics. During her graduate training, Emilie was a fellow at Penn’s Center for Teaching and Learning, through which she aided fellow graduate students in improving their teaching practices. She has organized a variety of physics outreach events in the greater Philadelphia area to make science fun and accessible for all.

Jordin Metz is a chemist working on water treatment issues at Rice University, where he will finish his Ph.D. in 2022 researching the role of reactive radical species in degrading persistent pollutants in water. During his graduate studies, Jordin was a member of the Rice graduate student government, advocating for sustainability initiatives and graduate student teaching opportunities. He also helped co-found the Rice Science Policy Network, working on science communication and policy initiatives in collaboration with Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Alex Kate Halvey is a materials scientist and engineer at the University of Michigan, where she will complete her Ph.D. in 2022 and specializes in designing surfaces that prevent the adhesion of harmful solids, such as ice and mineral scale. She is also a graduate of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy certificate program at UM and enjoys teaching science communication fundamentals to graduate students. Go Blue! 

Katherine Quinn is an interdisciplinary theoretical physicist studying hierarchical patterns in complex systems from our cosmological model of the early universe to emergence in biophysics. During her time as a graduate student at Cornell, she co-founded a Graduate Women in Science chapter, was an instructor for Cornell’s Prison Education Program, and served as an elected member of Cornell’s University Assembly. After receiving her Ph.D.

Dr. Arthur Bowman, III, is an experimental physicist specializing in solid state nanoelectronics. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Physics in 2014 at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, the same institution that conferred a Ph.D. upon him in 2021. Arthur wrote his dissertation on enhancing the performance of field-effect transistor devices formed from atomically thin, 2D materials. Arthur is also a highly experienced community organizer.

Peter Su received a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT in 2020, where he studied materials for mid-infrared photonic circuits and gained expertise in nanofabrication techniques. He was Chair of the MIT Graduate Student Council’s External Affairs Board, where he advocated on behalf of MIT graduate students to local, state, and federal governments on issues including student visas, housing, and research funding.

Born and raised on his family's organic farm in rural California, Dr. Jake Pasner earned his Ph.D. at UC Santa Cruz (2019) in Particle Physics studying the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest international experiment. Jake’s research background in distributed computing and data visualization makes him well versed in the tools America needs to secure and operationalize our nations data in the age of artifical intelligence, climate change, and global pandemic.

Nicholas (Nick) Montoni received a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Washington in 2018. Nick's research was primarily concerned with understanding the light-harvesting properties of metals at small scales for applications in renewable energy, cancer treatment, and information storage. Nick founded UW's chapter of Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM) and is passionate about science communication and stand-up comedy.

Brian earned his Ph.D. in ecology, evolution, and organismal biology from UC Riverside in 2013, where he studied the consequences of rapid evolution and signal loss in an acoustically communicating insect. While in graduate school, he co-developed an award-winning outreach and education program. He's held a number of leadership positions with community engagement and education programs and was a 2017-2019 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation.