Physics Student-Faculty Research
Student-Faculty Research
At LVC, students have the opportunity to engage in research with our faculty, who are experts theoretical/computational nuclear physics (Dr. Dan Pitonyak), laser modifications of glass (Dr. Keith Veenhuizen), and origami engineering (Dr. Clark Addis). Students can work alongside faculty as paid research assistants during the summer and/or during the academic year for credit as an independent study or senior capstone project. This work has culminated in presentations at national conferences and co-authored papers in peer-reviewed journals. These high-level research experiences are unique for students at a small college and help distinguish LVC physics majors when they embark on their career paths after graduation.
Dr. Pitonyak also was recently awarded his third highly-competitive grant from the National Science Foundation and won the very prestigious American Physical Society 2026 Prize for a Faculty Member for Research in an Undergraduate Institution
| Student | Year of Activity | Publication or Conference Presentation |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Harris | 2025 | 鈥淣ormalizing Flow Methods for QCD Global Analysis of the Transversity PDF,鈥� Contributed talk at the APS Mid-Atlantic Section Meeting, Nov. 15, 2025, Harrisburg, PA. |
| Benjamin Kegerreis | 2025 | 鈥淓xploring the Feasibility of Extracting Quark and Gluon Orbital Angular Momentum at Small x from Polarized Elastic Dijet Production,鈥� Contributed talk at the Conference Experience for Under- graduates at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting, Oct. 19, 2025, Chicago, IL. |
| Michael Harris | 2025 | M. Harris, J. Marsh, D. Pitonyak, A. Prokudin, J. Putnam, D. Rein and M. Schlegel, 鈥淭ransverse single-spin asymmetries in 纬SIDIS as a direct probe of quark-gluon-quark longitudinal momentum structure,鈥� Phys. Lett. B 869, 139793 (2025) [arXiv:2505.02711 [hep-ph]]. |
| Jacob Marsh | 2025 | M. Harris, J. Marsh, D. Pitonyak, A. Prokudin, J. Putnam, D. Rein and M. Schlegel, 鈥淭ransverse single-spin asymmetries in 纬SIDIS as a direct probe of quark-gluon-quark longitudinal momentum structure,鈥� Phys. Lett. B 869, 139793 (2025) [arXiv:2505.02711 [hep-ph]]. |
| Jack Putnam | 2025 | M. Harris, J. Marsh, D. Pitonyak, A. Prokudin, J. Putnam, D. Rein and M. Schlegel, 鈥淭ransverse single-spin asymmetries in 纬SIDIS as a direct probe of quark-gluon-quark longitudinal momentum structure,鈥� Phys. Lett. B 869, 139793 (2025) [arXiv:2505.02711 [hep-ph]]. |
| Michael Harris | 2025 | 鈥淭ransverse Single-Spin Asymmetries in the SIDIS Production of Photons: Modeling Multi-Parton Correlations in the Nucleon,鈥� Contributed talk at the APS Group on Hadronic Physics Workshop, Mar. 16, 2025, Anaheim, CA. |
| Jack Putnam | 2025 | 鈥淭ransverse Single-Spin Asymmetries in Inclusive DIS and SIDIS Production of Photons: Numerical Predictions using Models for Multi-Parton Correlators,鈥� Contributed poster at the APS Global Summit, Mar. 19, 2025. |
| Michael Harris | 2024 | 鈥淭ransverse Single-Spin Asymmetries in Inclusive DIS and SIDIS Production of Photons: Numerical Predictions using Models for Multi-Parton Correlators,鈥� Contributed talk at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting, Oct. 10, 2024, Boston, MA. |
| Jacob Marsh | 2024 | 鈥淯pdated Numerical Study of Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetries in Single-Inclusive Pion Produc- tion from Lepton-Nucleon Collisions,鈥� Contributed talk at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting, Oct. 9, 2024, Boston, MA. |
| Penn Smith | 2024 | S. Fitzgibbons, M. Malda, J. Marsh, D. Pitonyak and P. Smith, 鈥淯pdated numerical study of TSSAs in single-inclusive pion production from lepton-nucleon collisions,鈥� Phys. Lett. B 852, 138606 (2024) [arXiv:2401.02391 [hep-ph]]. |
| Michel Malda | 2024 | S. Fitzgibbons, M. Malda, J. Marsh, D. Pitonyak and P. Smith, 鈥淯pdated numerical study of TSSAs in single-inclusive pion production from lepton-nucleon collisions,鈥� Phys. Lett. B 852, 138606 (2024) [arXiv:2401.02391 [hep-ph]]. |
| Jacob Marsh | 2024 | S. Fitzgibbons, M. Malda, J. Marsh, D. Pitonyak and P. Smith, 鈥淯pdated numerical study of TSSAs in single-inclusive pion production from lepton-nucleon collisions,鈥� Phys. Lett. B 852, 138606 (2024) [arXiv:2401.02391 [hep-ph]]. |
| Sophia Fitzgibbons | 2024 | S. Fitzgibbons, M. Malda, J. Marsh, D. Pitonyak and P. Smith, 鈥淯pdated numerical study of TSSAs in single-inclusive pion production from lepton-nucleon collisions,鈥� Phys. Lett. B 852, 138606 (2024) [arXiv:2401.02391 [hep-ph]]. |
| Penn Smith | 2024 | 鈥淣umerical Computation of Left-Right Asymmetries in Single-Inclusive Pion Production from Lepton-Nucleon Collisions,鈥� Contributed talk at the APS April Meeting, Apr. 3, 2024, Sacramento, CA. |
| Jacob Marsh | 2024 | 鈥淭ransverse Single-Spin Asymmetries in Single-Inclusive Pion Production from Lepton-Nucleon Collisions with Unpolarized Next-to-Leading Order Corrections,鈥� Contributed poster at the APS April Meeting, Apr. 6, 2024, Sacramento, CA. |
| Sophia Fitzgibbons | 2024 | 鈥淭ransverse Single-Spin Asymmetries in Single-Inclusive Pion Production from Lepton-Nucleon Collisions with Unpolarized Next-to-Leading Order Corrections,鈥� Contributed poster at the APS April Meeting, Apr. 6, 2024, Sacramento, CA. |
| Brandon Bauer | 2023 | B. Bauer, D. Pitonyak and C. Shay, 鈥淣umerical study of the twist-3 asymmetry ALT in single- inclusive electron-nucleon and proton-proton collisions,鈥� Phys. Rev. D 107, 014013 (2023) [arXiv:2210.14334 [hep-ph]]. |
| Cody Shay | 2023 | B. Bauer, D. Pitonyak and C. Shay, 鈥淣umerical study of the twist-3 asymmetry ALT in single- inclusive electron-nucleon and proton-proton collisions,鈥� Phys. Rev. D 107, 014013 (2023) [arXiv:2210.14334 [hep-ph]]. |
| Jack Putnam | 2023 | David W. Lyons, Cristina Mullican, Adam Rilatt, and Jack D. Putnam, “Werner states from diagrams,” Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 56(22):225301, May 2023 [arXiv:2302.05572]. |
| Brandon Bauer | 2023 | 鈥淣umerical Study of Twist-3 Longitudinal-Transverse Double-Spin Asymmetries: a Probe of Quark- Gluon-Quark Correlations in Hadrons,鈥� Contributed talk at the APS Group on Hadronic Physics Meeting, Apr. 14, 2023, Minneapolis, MN. |
| Cody Shay | 2023 | 鈥淣umerical Study of Single-Inclusive Longitudinal-Transverse Double-Spin Asymmetries in Electron- Nucleon and Proton-Proton Collisions,鈥� Contributed poster at the APS April Meeting, Apr. 15, 2023, Minneapolis, MN. |
| Alex Heilman | 2022 | Paul Appel, Alexander J. Heilman, Ezekiel W. Wertz, David W. Lyons, Marcus Huber, Matej Pivoluska, and Giuseppe Vitagliano, “Finite-Function-Encoding Quantum States,” Quantum, 6:708, May 2022 [arXiv:2012.00490]. |
| Ezekiel Wertz | 2022 | Paul Appel, Alexander J. Heilman, Ezekiel W. Wertz, David W. Lyons, Marcus Huber, Matej Pivoluska, and Giuseppe Vitagliano, “Finite-Function-Encoding Quantum States,” Quantum, 6:708, May 2022 [arXiv:2012.00490]. |
| Jacob Marsh | 2022 | Wei Sun, Keith Veenhuizen, Jacob Marsh, Volkmar Dierolf, Himanshu Jain, 鈥淒etermination of the structure of lithium niobosilicate glasses by molecular dynamics simulation with a new Nb-O potential,鈥� Computational Materials Science, Volume 207, May 2022, 111307. |
| Jacob Franklin | 2022 | Keith Veenhuizen, Collin Barker, Jacob Franklin, Sean McAnany, Bruce Aitken, Daniel Nolan, Volkmar Dierolf, Himanshu Jain, 鈥淭he 映画传媒 of glass composition in the 3D laser fabrication of lithium niobate single crystal in lithium niobosilicate glass,鈥� Optical Materials, Volume 128, June 2022, 112380. |
| Joshua Miller | 2022 | L. Gamberg, M. Malda, J. A. Miller, D. Pitonyak, A. Prokudin and N. Sato, 鈥淯pdated QCD global analysis of single transverse-spin asymmetries: Extracting H 虄, and the 映画传媒 of the Soffer bound and lattice QCD,鈥� Phys. Rev. D 106, 034014 (2022) [arXiv:2205.00999 [hep-ph]]. |
| Michel Malda | 2022 | L. Gamberg, M. Malda, J. A. Miller, D. Pitonyak, A. Prokudin and N. Sato, 鈥淯pdated QCD global analysis of single transverse-spin asymmetries: Extracting H 虄, and the 映画传媒 of the Soffer bound and lattice QCD,鈥� Phys. Rev. D 106, 034014 (2022) [arXiv:2205.00999 [hep-ph]]. |
| Brandon Bauer | 2022 | 鈥淣umerical Study of Single-Inclusive Longitudinal-Transverse Double-Spin Asymmetries in Electron- Proton and Proton-Proton Collisions,鈥� Contributed poster at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting, Oct. 28, 2022, New Orleans, LA. |
| Ben Gordon | 2022 | 鈥淎nalysis of the cos2蠁 and cos蠁 Modulations in Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic Scattering,鈥� Contributed talk at the APS April Meeting, Apr. 9, 2022, New York, NY. |
| Michel Malda | 2022 | 鈥淯pdated QCD Global Analysis of Single Transverse-Spin Asymmetries with Additional Constraints from Experimental Data and Lattice QCD,鈥� Contributed talk at the APS April Meeting, Apr. 9, 2022, New York, NY. |
| Ben Gordon | 2021 | 聽鈥淎nalysis of the cos 2蠁 Modulation in Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic Scattering,鈥� Contributed talk at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting, Oct. 13, 2021, remote. |
| Michel Malda | 2021 | 鈥淯pdated QCD Global Analysis of Single Transverse-Spin Asymmetries,鈥� Contributed talk at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting, Oct. 13, 2021, remote. |
| Olivia Magneson | 2021 | 聽鈥淧hase-selective laser-induced crystallization of lead bismuth gallate glass,鈥� Contributed poster at the聽 Glass and Optical Materials Division (GOMD) 2021 Annual Meeting, Dec. 13, 2021, remote. |
| Jacob Franklin | 2021 | 聽鈥淔ormation of continuous lithium niobate single crystals in lithium niobosilicate glass via femtosecond laser irradiation,鈥� Contributed poster at the聽 Glass and Optical Materials Division (GOMD) 2021 Annual Meeting, Dec. 13, 2021, remote. |
| Justin Cammarota | 2020 | J. Cammarota, L. Gamberg, Z. B. Kang, J. A. Miller, D. Pitonyak, A. Prokudin, T. C. Rogers and N. Sato, 鈥淥rigin of single transverse-spin asymmetries in high-energy collisions,鈥� Phys. Rev. D 102, 054002 (2020) [arXiv:2002.08384 [hep-ph]]. |
| Joshua Miller | 2020 | J. Cammarota, L. Gamberg, Z. B. Kang, J. A. Miller, D. Pitonyak, A. Prokudin, T. C. Rogers and N. Sato, 鈥淥rigin of single transverse-spin asymmetries in high-energy collisions,鈥� Phys. Rev. D 102, 054002 (2020) [arXiv:2002.08384 [hep-ph]]. |
| Ben Gordon | 2020 | 鈥淓xtraction of the Boer-Mulders Function from Unpolarized SIDIS Data,鈥� Contributed poster at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting, Oct. 30, 2020, remote. |
| Adam Rilatt | 2020 | 鈥淓xtraction of the Boer-Mulders Function from Unpolarized SIDIS Data,鈥� Contributed poster at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting, Oct. 30, 2020, remote. |
| Michel Malda | 2020 | 鈥淢apping the 3D Structure of Hadrons through Asymmetries in Single-Inclusive Pion Production from Electron-Proton Collisions,鈥� Contributed talk at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting, Oct. 30, 2020, remote. |
| Collin Barker | 2019 | 鈥淟aser-induced crystallization and reduction of copper-doped lithium niobosilicate glass,鈥� Contributed poster at the 25th International Congress on Glass, Jun. 9, 2019, Boston, MA |
| Joshua Miller | 2019 | 鈥淟aser-induced crystallization and reduction of copper-doped lithium niobosilicate glass,鈥� Contributed poster at the 25th International Congress on Glass, Jun. 9, 2019, Boston, MA |
| Ezekiel Wertz | 2017 | David W. Lyons, Nathaniel P. Gibbons, Mark A. Peters, Daniel J. Upchurch, Scott N. Walck, and Ezekiel W. Wertz, “Local Pauli stabilizers of symmetric hypergraph states,” Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 50(24):245303, 2017 [arXiv:1609.01306]. |
| Nate Gibbons | 2017 | David W. Lyons, Nathaniel P. Gibbons, Mark A. Peters, Daniel J. Upchurch, Scott N. Walck, and Ezekiel W. Wertz, “Local Pauli stabilizers of symmetric hypergraph states,” Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 50(24):245303, 2017 [arXiv:1609.01306]. |
| Student | Year(s) | Position/Company or聽Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Isaac Woessner | 2026 | James A. Finnegan Foundation Fellow / PA Bureau of Radiation Protection |
| Ben Kegerreis | 2025, 2026 | Research Assistant / LVC 鈥� Dr. Pitonyak |
| Marcus Johnson | 2026 | Research Assistant / LVC 鈥� Dr. Pitonyak |
| Jaelyn Morales | 2026 | Research Assistant / LVC 鈥� Dr. Pitonyak |
| Sara Wray | 2026 | Research Assistant / LVC 鈥� Dr. Pitonyak |
| Danny Hagan | 2026 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Lyons |
| Evan Czlapinski | 2025 | Independent Study / LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Michael Harris | 2024, 2025 | Research Assistant & Independent Study / LVC – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Michael Harris | 2025 | Research Assistant / Thomas Jefferson National Lab SULI Program |
| Jillian Fidler | 2025 | Vehicle Application Team Intern / Penske Truck Leasing |
| Penn Smith | 2024 | Research Assistant / Triangle Universities Nuclear Lab REU Program at Duke |
| Tristan Rosenberry | 2024 | Engineer / PPL Corporation |
| Jacob Marsh | 2023, 2024 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Jack Putnam | 2024 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Justin DeShong | 2024 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Lyons & Dr. Mullican |
| Ben Kegerreis | 2024 | Research Assistant / LVC Research First Program – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Brandon Bauer | 2023 | Research Assistant / University of Delaware REU Program |
| Justin DeShong | 2023 | Research Assistant / Virginia Tech REU Program |
| Tristan Rosenberry | 2023 | Research Assistant / Penn State University REU Program |
| Sophie Piepmeier | 2023 | STEM Center for Education and Outreach Intern / U.S. Naval Academy |
| Jackie Martin | 2023 | Vanderbilt University REU Program |
| Michael Harris | 2023 | Research Assistant / LVC Research First Program – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Faye Gibson | 2023 | Research Assistant / LVC Research First Program – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Sophia Fitzgibbons | 2023 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Penn Smith | 2023 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Olivia Magneson | 2022 | AAPM Summer Undergraduate Fellowship / Harvard Medical School |
| Justin Deshong | 2022 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Jacob Marsh | 2022 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Jackie Martin | 2022 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Tristan Rosenberry | 2022 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Brandon Bauer | 2022 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Cody Shay | 2022 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Jacob Franklin | 2021 | Research Assistant/Lehigh University REU Program |
| Andrew Hearsey | 2021 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Olivia Magneson | 2021, 2022 | Research Assistant & Independent Study / LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Jacob Marsh | 2021 | Research Assistant / LVC Research First Program – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Michel Malda | 2020, 2021 | Research Assistant / LVC – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Ben Gordon | 2020, 2021 | Research Assistant/LVC – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Tristan Rosenberry | 2021 | Research Assistant / LVC Research First Program – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Jacob Layton | 2020 | Research Assistant/LVC Research First Program – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Joshua Miller | 2020 | Research Assistant/Thomas Jefferson National Lab SULI Program |
| Adam Rilatt | 2020 | Research Assistant/LVC Research First Program – Dr. Pitonyak |
| Mark Wittemann | 2020 | Research Assistant/LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Eric Alleman | 2019 | Research Assistant/Underseas Systems Office (PSU Applied Research Lab) |
| Leah Boyer | 2017, 2019 |
Research Assistant/University of South Florida聽REU Program Research Assistant/Underseas Systems Office (PSU Applied Research Lab) |
| Marcus Brown-Dulan | 2018 |
Research Assistant/Underseas Systems Office (PSU Applied Research Lab) |
| Joshua Miller | 2018, 2019, 2021 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Veenhuizen Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Pitonyak |
| Jacob Franklin | 2019 |
Research Assistant/LVC Research First Program-Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Lauren Hagy | 2019 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Samantha Smith | 2019 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Alex Heilman | 2018, 2019 | Independent Study / LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Collin Barker | 2018 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Rebecca Campbell | 2018 | Independent Study / LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Leah Boyer | 2018 | Independent Study / LVC – Dr. Veenhuizen |
| Justin Cammarota |
2015- 2018 |
Research Assistant/LVC Research First Program-Dr. Marsh Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck Research Assistant/Fermilab SULI Program Research Assistant/University of Michigan聽REU Program at CERN |
| Alex Heilman | 2017- 2018 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck |
| Nate Gibbons | 2015, 2017 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck Research Assistant/NIST SURF |
| Gerald Boddie | 2017 |
Research Assistant/Penn State University |
| Ezekiel Wertz | 2016-2017 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck |
| Kathryn White | 2016 |
Mechanical Engineering Intern/Ames Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa |
| Daniel Upchurch | 2014- 2015 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck |
| Adam Rosier | 2013 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck |
| Anthony Hoover | 2012- 2013 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck |
| Ian Bond | 2012 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck |
| Oliver Lyons | 2012 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck |
| Hana Krechel | 2011- 2012 |
Mechanical Engineering Intern/Exelon NuclearGovernment Civilian Intern/Army Material System Analysis Activity |
| Ian Younker | 2010 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck |
| Adam Hansell | 2009- 2010 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck |
| Laura Snyder | 2009- 2010 |
Research Assistant/LVC-Dr. Lyons & Dr. Walck |
Computational Nuclear Physics
The goal of this research is to map out a 3D image of the internal structure of visible matter. Students write code in Python to compute high-energy particle collisions and analyze how models fit experimental data. This allows us to extract information on the elementary particles that make up objects like the proton.
Participating Faculty Member: Dr. Dan Pitonyak
Laser Modifications of Glass
The goal of this research is to fabricate crystals in glass using a laser as a heat source. Light can be guided through the crystals, making them potentially useful as optical interconnects in photonic integrated circuits. In addition, the crystals are characterized by various means (Raman spectroscopy, piezoresponse for microscopy, etc.) to gather information for practical applications and more fundamental studies.
Participating Faculty Member: Dr. Keith Veenhuizen
Origami Engineering
The goal of this research is to develop reconfigurable structures that use simple origami-inspired motions to achieve complex shape changes without the need for advanced controllers or electronics. By modifying the mechanical energy landscape of folded materials鈥攕imilar to how a slap bracelet or light switch snaps between stable states鈥攕tudents explore how material stretching and crease deformation can be harnessed to create multistable systems with programmable shapes and behaviors. Using physical prototyping, 3D printing, Python and Mathematica modeling, and experimental tools such as Arduino-based actuation and mechanical testing machines, students study curved-crease origami structures and bio-inspired systems such as the folding mechanisms of earwig wings. This research advances fundamental understanding of material-geometry interactions while enabling new approaches to 鈥渕echanical computing,鈥� where intelligence is embedded directly in the structure itself, with potential applications in soft robotics, deployable systems, and energy-efficient adaptive devices.
Participating Faculty Member: Dr. Clark Addis
