Spring Physics Awards

Matthew T. Warren is a graduating senior in the Physics Department at UCCS. He began his studies at the university in 2019, originally studying mechanical engineering. As Matthew continued his studies, he was drawn to the physics coursework and switched majors. During his time at UCCS, Matthew has worked in the Excel Science Center as a tutor specializing in support to other physics students. Most recently, he has contributed to research in physics with the Pinchuk Research Group. After graduating, Matthew looks forward to applying his knowledge in support of the aerospace industry.

Reed began graduate studies in the UCCS Physics PhD program in the fall of 2018.  In the fall of 2019, Reed took a computational physics course and with these tools, begun numerical research projects under the supervision of advisers Dr. Rair Macêdo and Distinguished Professor Robert E. Camley.  Reed’s theoretical research has modelled a bilayered crystal quartz structure, but the majority has focused on models of liquid crystal cells that were experimentally observed by Dr. Olha Melnyk.  These projects have led to three peer-reviewed publications, including one on the design of a tunable, fast-switching optical filter, made of liquid crystals, that was highlighted by the UCCS Communique.  Reed has a fourth project that is currently under peer-review.  Reed was awarded a 2022-2023 Mentored Doctoral Fellowship.  Reed’s PhD defense was titled “The physics of optical devices with liquid crystals and crystal quartz” and was defended on April 13, 2023.  Reed is currently working on another liquid crystals project and a project in magnetism, specifically on artificial spin ice.