New College of Florida Students Earn Grants for Summer Research

April 5, 2012 — New College of Florida students Sophie Lang and Katie McAlpine have been awarded grants for specialized research study with the National Institute on Standards and Technology (NIST) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. The program runs from May through August 2012 with support from the National Science Foundation and includes a stipend for travel and housing.
Sophie Lang, of Tallahassee, Fla., is one of about 80 students to study at the NIST SURF facility just outside Washington, D.C., in Gaithersburg, Md. Lang is a third-year student pursuing her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from New College and an associate’s degree in fire science from Florida State College at Jacksonville. Lang will participate in the Fire Research Division, which develops, verifies and utilizes measurements and predictive methods to quantify the behavior of fire and means to reduce the impact of fire on people, property and the environment. At New College, Lang has worked closely with Dr. Steven Shipman, assistant professor of physical chemistry, in his lab on microwave spectroscopy, learning techniques and associated software for data collection and analysis.
Katie McAlpine, of Spring Hill, Fla., is one of approximately 20 students to be awarded the fellowship for study at the NIST SURF program in Boulder, Colo. McAlpine is a third-year student in physics, who has collaborated with Dr. Mariana Sendova, professor of physics, in New College’s Optical Spectroscopy and Nano-Materials Laboratory. Instead of the NIST SURF program, McAlpine will participate this summer in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, at the JILA Center for Atomic, Molecular, & Optical Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. There, she will work in the Thompson Lab, which focuses on breaking quantum and thermal limits.
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