Superheroes of Science Purdue College of Science

We wanted to know a few things about Quantum materials. Who better to ask than Erica W. Carlson, Ph.D., a Professor of Physics at Purdue University. Prof. Carlson holds a BS in Physics from the California Institute of Technology (1994), as well as a Ph.D. in Physics from UCLA (2000). A theoretical physicist at the Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute, Prof. Carlson researches electronic phase transitions in quantum materials. In 2015, she was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society "for theoretical insights into the critical role of electron nematicity, disorder, and noise in novel phases of strongly correlated electron systems and predicting unique characteristics." Prof. Carlson has been on the faculty at Purdue University since 2003, where she was recently named a "150th Anniversary Professor" in recognition of teaching excellence.  She is a founding member of Innovation in Quantum Pedagogy and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC).  Her latest work popularizing science can be found at youtube.com/@TheQuantumAge .
 

Briony Horgan, Associate Professor of Planetary Sciences at Purdue University, is working to determine whether we are alone in the Universe, or if life once existed on other planets such as Mars. She explains what the Perseverance Rover is doing on Mars, (like looking for ancient microbial life!), and talks about the samples and data that Perseverance is collecting. Briony also discusses a future NASA mission that will focus on returning samples to Earth (Mars Sample Return). 
 

Dr. Lindsay Weinberg is a clinical assistant professor in the John Martinson Honors College at Purdue University, and the Director of the Tech Justice Lab. Her research and teaching are at the intersection of science and technology studies, media studies, and feminist studies, with an emphasis on the social and ethical impacts of digital technology.  
 

From “writing code” without knowing code to training models, Professor Tianyi Zhang discusses how Machine Learning and A.I. models work and what they are. He is an Assistant Professor at Purdue University researching Human and Computer Interaction.

In an era of increasing cyber threats, Eugene H. Spafford forges our future in the area of cybersecurity.  Dr. Spafford is a Professor of Computer Science in Purdue University’s College of Science. He explains ethical hacking, social engineering, and the role of cybersecurity professionals in our lives.
 

From how nuclear power works to safety in the industry, Dr. Hitesh Bindra explains nuclear energy.  Hitesh is an Associate Professor at Purdue University’s School of Nuclear Engineering.