EAST LANSING, Michigan — Erin White ’18 was recently awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship for her research in nuclear physics and astrophysics at Michigan State University. 

White earned Bachelor of Science degrees in physics and mathematics and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish as an undergraduate at the University of Mount Union and she now works with Dr. Jaideep Singh’s research group, called the “Spinlab.”

The project she works on is called the Single Atom Microscope (SAM) project, which sets out to measure certain rare nuclear reactions more precisely than any other current method. One key to understanding where the chemical elements come from lies within the nuclear reactions occurring in stars. Finding a precise way to measure these reactions would provide insight into the life cycles of stars and the elements’ origins.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program is highly competitive with an aim to recognize and financially support individuals who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers. The program receives approximately 12,500 applications each year across all STEM fields, and roughly 16 percent of applicants receive the award.

Learn more | Physics