Featured Alumni

Sydney (Hall) Wittmier

Physics Dual Degree 
B.S. Physics - UW-River Falls
B.S. Civil Engineering - University of Minnesota

Sydney works as Senior Project Manager at Mortenson Construction. She is also the 2022 recipient of the UWRF Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
I always knew I wanted to major in engineering. Mathematics and science have always greatly interested me. I was glad that I could get a dual degree and not have to pick between physics or engineering.
My cousin was a coach and professor at the university at the time, and he sparked my interest in attending UWRF. Also, the university was close to home.

On being a woman of color in a STEM field: "I don’t see many people that look like me, which leads to having to break through initial barriers and biases. Every time I come into a new job, I don’t always get the same amount of trust as my white male colleagues. I often have to prove myself, which can be frustrating since I have been in this field for so long. In addition, it goes unsaid that I not only have to exceed expectations in order to succeed the way my colleagues do, but I represent other Black women who may choose this line of work. If I fail, other Black women will be viewed as incapable of doing the job."

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at UW-River Falls?
Any time I got to spend with my roommates, which are still some of my good friends to this day. Also, any class that I got to take with Professor Blodgett Ph.D. I took every class he offered because I enjoyed his teaching that much. I also played basketball while at the university and enjoyed the time I spent on the court with my teammates.
 

Ann Deml

B.S. Physics - UW-River Falls
M.S. and Ph.D. Materials Science - Colorado School of Mines

Postdoc at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO. Performing computational research on properties determining oxygen vacancy defect formation energies in oxides for energy conversion and storage applications. Designing new approaches for rapid materials screening. Developing expanded insights into the dominant physical mechanisms of defect formation.

One of the most critical and influential aspects of my experience at UWRF was the ever present sense of community. The physics faculty and students, in particular, created an inviting and inspiring environment in which I could grow to see and pursue opportunities I had not previously envisioned. With mentoring from my advisors, I participated in two summer research programs as an undergraduate and went on to graduate school! I've continued to combine my broad perspectives from physics and chemistry to explore the world of materials and am very pleased with the path I've taken.

Martin Dahlke

B.S. Physics - UW-River Falls
M.S. Management of Technology - University of Minnesota

Technology Products Manager at Polar Semiconductor. I manage two teams in our semiconductor factory ("Fab"): one team that produces the Process Design Kits that our customers use with their CAD tools to design their parts and also the Mask team that receives customer CAD data and delivers Quartz Photomasks to the production floor.

My physics degree from River Falls helped me to establish a strong foundation of skills and techniques that I still use today to solve broad and complex problems.

Charlotte Evans

B.S. Physics - UW-River Falls
Ph.D. program - Rice University

At Rice University, I am a National Science Foundation fellow and a research and teaching assistant working toward a Ph.D. in physics with an emphasis in nanoscale optics. I am specifically looking at Raman Spectroscopy and Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectrum measurements in molecular junctions. I am also a first lieutenant in the Texas Army National Guard and serve as a platoon leader in a Signal (communications) unit, the C Co in the 72nd BSTB (72nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Charlie Company). I manage a platoon of around twenty Soldiers and plan different missions and training events for our monthly drills.

UWRF's small class sizes and student-oriented professors really helped me flourish during my undergraduate career not only as a physicist but also as a person. The department offered the same courses as a bigger university and was able to make sure that I was well-prepared for graduate school, but without the drawbacks of a large school. The department was willing to tailor to each individual's interests and because the department was still small, I was able to explore areas I may not have considered before, such as competing in the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium's Collegiate Rocket Competition,  judging at Science Olympiad regional tournaments, or attending the Society of Physics Students (SPS) Congress in Florida. Finally, the active SPS chapter and Sigma Pi Sigma really helped keep me enthusiastic about physics and allowed me to stay up-to-date and active in the community with science events.

David Fairchild

Dual Degree Student - B.S. Physics - UW-River Falls
B.S. Mechanical Engineering - University of Minnesota
M.S. Business Administration - Arizona State University

Commissioning Engineer for Burns and McDonnell in Bloomington, MN. In my current role I'm responsible for leading, executing and supporting commissioning, retro-commissioning, and energy related services for buildings and systems in the mission critical, healthcare, laboratory, aviation, higher education and commercial building markets. 

Having always wanted to be an engineer the UWRF (physics) dual degree program was the best of both worlds. It provided small, personalized class sizes along with an opportunity to pursue multiple degrees which has given me a very broad perspective when solving problems. UWRF is well known in the industry and I get phone calls on a monthly basis from recruiters interested in my background and education. I highly recommend UWRF for anyone interested in physics or engineering.

Tim Gessert

B.A. Physics and Mathematics - UW-River Falls
M.S. Physics - Colorado School of Mines
Ph.D. Physics - University of Wales College of Cardiff, Wales, UK

Principal Scientist, Thin-Film Materials Group, National Renewable Energy Lab, Golden, CO. I work on the development of thin-film photovoltaic absorbers and related materials.

Working with lots of projects, scientists, and graduate students during that past 30 years as a researcher, I am often surprised by the frequency that I still rely on the knowledge and experiences I gained at UWRF.

Kyle Jero

B.S. Physics and Mathematics - UW-River Falls
Physics Ph.D. program - University of Wisconsin-Madison

I am a research assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in a Physics PhD program. I work on the IceCube project where I specialize in precise muon directional reconstruction and self veto calculations and techniques for cubic kilometer scale neutrino detectors. In the near future I will present a preliminary dissertation proposal which combines these ideas together to search for the sources of high energy neutrinos and their parent cosmic rays. 

My experience in the UWRF Physics Department was crucial to my post graduation success. The quality of the undergrad research which I participated in through the department lead to a research position in graduate school. Additionally, the department's rigorous courses and focus on laboratory work, both hands on and computational, allowed me to easily transition to graduate level courses while simultaneously performing research to publish my first paper. My education at River Falls continues to be the strong base upon which I advance my career.

Joseph Ott

B.S. Physics - UW-River Falls
M.S. Medical Physics - University of Cincinnati
Certified by American Board of Radiology in Radiologic Therapy Physics

I am a medical physicist for HealthEast, a community-based healthcare organization that operates multiple cancer treatment centers in and around Saint Paul, MN. As a medical physicist, my primary responsibility is to work closely with my radiation oncology colleagues, to ensure the accuracy and quality of our radiation therapy treatments. This entails the precise and careful application of radiation physics principles to the treatment and/or diagnosis of patients.

The UW-River Falls physics program provided an excellent framework for my success in graduate school and subsequent career in medical physics. The core physics curriculum is taught in an engaging manner, by professors that genuinely care about their students. The laboratory component of the UWRF program was also great preparation for my graduate and professional research endeavors. With its excellent, well-rounded physics program, UW-River Falls helped me build the tools, experience, and confidence necessary to succeed in my career as a medical physicist.

Yvette Richardson

B.S. Physics - UW-River Falls
M.S. Meteorology - University of Oklahoma
Ph.D. Meteorology - University of Oklahoma

UWRF Physics Alumni Success Story: One day as an undergraduate, I noticed a poster on the wall for a Summer Institute on Atmospheric Science at NASA Goddard Space Flight center, and they were encouraging physics majors to apply. That summer was the beginning of my career in meteorology. After graduation from River Falls, I went to the University of Oklahoma to earn master's and Ph.D. degrees in meteorology, studying severe storms and tornadoes. I am now an associate professor in the Department of Meteorology at Penn State University.

I could not have asked for a better foundation than the one I obtained as a physics major at UW-River Falls. The rigor of the program was excellent preparation for the problem-solving needed in meteorology, and the skills acquired in courses like Math for Physics and Chemistry were fundamental to my success as a graduate student.  Advanced Lab taught me how to think critically and become a true scientist.  Most importantly, the dedication, caring, and encouragement of the UW-River Falls faculty throughout my entire time at UWRF helped me to succeed and to come out confident that I could pursue a Ph.D. in the physical sciences.

Lindsey Neby

B.S. Physics and Music - UW-River Falls
M.S. Electrical Engineering - University of Rochester

I work as an Audio Test Engineer in the hardware division of Microsoft, testing and analyzing the acoustic capabilities of various products in their development stages. My team has worked heavily on the Xbox Kinect, and has branched out into supporting a wide variety of other products, from headsets to conference devices. 

The staff at UWRF's Physics Department really are at the heart of what makes it a great place to learn and develop your  individual interests on top of a good overall foundation. I was able to pursue my interest in acoustics while at UWRF due to their support on every level- from having the flexibility to tailor coursework options, to being given the support to work on research and projects I was interested in, and being able to present that work at a professional level- all as an undergraduate. These experiences laid the groundwork for being successful in graduate school and now working in the field.