Victoria Whidden ’24
Fall 2023 SAFE Fund Recipient
Project: "Nanoparticle Response to Power with Optical Tweezers"
Victoria Whidden ’24, a second-year graduate student in the engineering physics program from Wendell, received a Fall 2023 Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) grant to present a poster at the NASA STEM Better Together Conference in San Jose, CA, from November 15-17, 2023.
Whidden, a 2023-24 North Carolina Space Grant Undergraduate Research Fellow, attended the conference as a student ambassador to the program. She presented a poster on her research, titled "Gold Nanoshell Response in Optical Tweezers of Varying Trap Strength." Advised by Department of Physics and Astronomy professor and assistant chair Dr. Brooke Hester, Whidden's project seeks to identify the optimal properties of gold nanoshells that yield the most favorable response to laser illumination.
"Due to their properties and size, these particles have potential for applications in material sciences and engineering, including plasmonic devices that can help further efficient optics research," explained Whidden. "I want to focus on nanoshell advancements to provide efficient materials and explore how to implement them in more research like CubeSats."
The support provided by the SAFE Fund and the Office of Student Research helped Whidden cover transportation and accommodation expenses. She shared that the conference allowed her to present her research and network with others in her field, including NASA scientists.
"I not only got to travel to California, which I had never dreamed of going to, but I was able to connect with the scientists that I have been keeping up with for my entire undergraduate degree. This funding gave me the stepping stones I needed to further my research and my network," shared Whidden, who will graduate with her master's degree in engineering physics with a laboratory automation concentration in May 2025. After graduation, she plans on working in the digital systems field, focusing of field-programmable gate array development.
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About the SAFE Fund
Initially endowed by Hughlene and Bill Frank, the College of Arts and Sciences Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) Fund provides resources that can be used to support undergraduate, graduate and faculty experiences. The SAFE Fund provides funding for college priorities and opportunities that arise throughout the year. These unrestricted funds support student and faculty travel, publication support for faculty and student research opportunities. Learn more at cas.appstate.edu/students/student-and-faculty-excellence-safe-fund.
About the Department of Physics and Astronomy
The Department of Physics and Astronomy’s curriculum has an applied nature that includes a core of fundamental physics courses and laboratory experiences. The department prepares graduates for a variety of scientific, teaching or engineering professions, as well as future educational endeavors. Learn more at physics.appstate.edu.
By Lauren Gibbs
December 6, 2024
BOONE, N.C.
Victoria Whidden is a second-year graduate student in the engineering physics program from Wendell. Photo submitted
Victoria Whidden is a second-year graduate student in the engineering physics program from Wendell. Photo submitted