Five Arkansas Tech University students attended a physics and astronomy congress hosted by the American Institute of Physics Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in Denver, Colo.
ATU was represented at the event by Gunner Hodges of Harrison, Zachary Jimerson of Harrison, Skye Palmer of Hot Springs, Joy Skaggs of Russellville and Joseph Temple of Greenbrier.
“The biggest benefit was the opportunity to meet and talk with people who have been in our shoes and are successful in fields we want to work in,” said Temple. “Zach and Joy are going to be physics teachers, and they were able to meet with the American Association of Physics teachers, an author of one of our textbooks and dozens of professors from around the country. Gunner and I are currently applying to PhD programs in physics and had similar experiences talking with and learning from grad students and professors at schools we hope to apply to. There were three Nobel laureates in attendance. They were incredibly down-to-earth and spoke with clarity and humility despite their feats. We learned a great deal simply by being able to listen to them talk.
“Beyond the connections with those unimaginably impressive people, it was an incredibly revitalizing experience to be around so many people who care so much about what we do,” continued Temple. “Physics can be a hard thing to get people interested in, but having almost 1,000 undergraduates, graduate students, professors and industry professionals who have dedicated their careers to that niche interest we all share, gathered all in one place, was an irreplaceable experience.”
The conference included five plenary speakers, two poster presentation sessions, an art gallery featuring pieces by those in attendance, professional development sessions and a graduate program fair.
One of the highlights of the trip for the ATU delegation was Skaggs winning the people’s choice award in the conference art competition for her work entitled “Periodic Pivots.”
“Attending these professional conferences gives students the opportunity to hone their skills in both presenting and networking,” said Skaggs. “For example, by participating in the poster competition, I got valuable feedback from judges on how to better my presentation. Additionally, as a finalist, it helped me understand what I was doing well and how I stand compared to a wider audience…the national stage in this case. Those particular developments will be important as we continue in our careers in the field of science.”
The AIP Physics and Astronomy Congress takes place every three years. ATU was one of three universities from Arkansas represented at the 2025 event.
“Having the opportunity to present our work on equal footing with schools that have larger departments and larger endowments, as well as other students engaging with our work and finding it interesting, put in perspective for me how wonderful and supportive a department we really do have, with both faculty and peers,” said Temple. “I was, and continue to be, proud to have been a voice for Arkansas and for Arkansas Tech.”
The trip, which was funded by the ATU College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and the American Institute of Physics, was also designed to facilitate a transition for the ATU Physics Club to become the ATU Society of Physics Students. That transition will align ATU’s student organization for physics students with a national network of peers.
A related outcome of attending the conference was the opportunity to learn more about Sigma Pi Sigma, a national physics and astronomy honor society. Temple said one conversation in particular with a peer from Virginia Tech has opened the door for ATU to establish its own chapter of Sigma Pi Sigma.
“Those interactions with like-minded people from across the country are incredibly valuable and stimulating,” said Temple. “We will be holding our first-ever Sigma Pi Sigma induction later this semester, in part due to financial resources and information we would otherwise have been unaware of.”
The ATU physics faculty includes Dr. Hamed Shojaei, professor of physics and head of the ATU Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences; Dr. Amber Harrington and Dr. Jessica Young, associate professors of physics; and Dr. Matthew Hankins, assistant professor of physics.
Learn more about the ATU physics program at https://www.atu.edu/stem/cmp/physics.
