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Date 4-25-06
Contact Daphne Alford 601.266.5619
WITH PHOTO
Hattiesburg—University
of Southern Mississippi physics major Carrie Walker was already
an academic powerhouse before she stepped foot on Southern Miss’
campus in the fall of 2002. Four years later, the Oxford native
has managed to maintain her focus becoming one of the university’s
premier students.
The senior’s
ability to sustain a 3.50 grade point average, participate in research
projects across the country, partake in a plethora of campus events,
and earn a perfect score on the GRE is “quite impressive” to Southern
Miss assistant physics professor Alina Gearba who first met Walker
in 2004.
“From the very
beginning she has impressed me as a bright young lady with excellent
work habits,” said Gearba. “Compared to some of my other students,
Carrie is not the type that just sits in the classroom. She always
participates in class discussions and asks penetrating questions,
which always helps the class. Although she has had many extracurricular
activities, she always finishes her homework and is always well-prepared
for exams.”
Some of those
extracurricular activities include spearheading the Southern Miss
chapter of the Society of Physics Students for two years, serving
as ambassador for the College of Science and Technology as well
as the Honors College, and serving as a physics and mathematics
tutor.
Twenty-one-year-old
Walker has been dynamic since childhood according to her parents.
“When Carrie was very little, we knew that God had blessed her with
very extraordinary and special talents,” said her mother Pat. “She
was never afraid of what she didn’t understand. She was always trying
to invent something new or find a better way to do things.”
Walker’s cravings
for new challenges grew more visible during her years at Oxford
High School. When she wasn’t competing in math and science competitions
or participating in overseas exchange programs, one could find the
class salutatorian playing goalkeeper for the girls' soccer team
or harmonizing with the school choir.
“I wasn't particularly
gifted in all those areas, but I enjoyed staying busy and trying
them all,” said Walker.
It was during
high school that the scholar developed a love for physics.
“When I took
my first physics class, I liked it immediately, mostly because it
had a lot of math,” said Walker. “But as I've learned more, I think
the thing I love most about physics is how it demands that we change
our perceptions of the physical world. To understand the world,
we really have to challenge our basic instincts and our own notion
of common sense.”
The decision
to attend Southern Miss was a no-brainer, said Walker who wanted
to attend a place where she could capitalize on her new-found passion
for physics.
“I was inspired
to attend Southern Miss because I thought its Honors College program
was sensational,” said Walker. “I was particularly impressed by
the talent and enthusiasm of the Honors faculty, and I loved the
friendly atmosphere at Southern.”
Since her time
at Southern Miss, Walker has made the most of an awarded Honors
College Presidential Scholarship—an academic scholarship valid for
the entire duration of her undergraduate studies. She has performed
research in atomic, molecular and optical physics under the supervision
of Gearba. For the past year and a half, the two have worked side
by side tackling one of the hottest areas in atomic physics research—laser
cooling and trapping of neutral atoms.
“We are using
a combination of lasers, optics, and a magnetic field to cool the
atoms down to temperatures close to absolute zero.”
With the encouragement
of her professors, Walker has twice applied for and been accepted
to the prestigious Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
program at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)
in Gaithersburg, Md. She was one of the 2005 NIST SURF students
working in the atomic physics group lead by the 1997 Nobel laureate
Dr. William Phillips.
“My internship
at NIST was a great opportunity for me,” said Walker. “It's difficult
to balance your time between a full-time class schedule and lab
research, so it was terrific to have an entire summer to just do
research. It's inspiring and a great experience for students because
it gives us hands-on experience at a world-class research facility.”
Walker will
head back to Maryland this summer to work on a project that uses
optical techniques to study DNA and explore single-molecule reactions.
Then she’s off to pursue a doctoral degree in physics at North Carolina
State University. “That should occupy the better part of my 20s,”
said the intellectual who envisions a career in academia.
Click to enlarge
University of Southern Mississippi physics major Carrie Walker proves the sky may not be the limit for some. (Submitted Photo)
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