Two St. Bonaventure University physics majors have been selected to participate in a highly competitive summer research program sponsored by the National Science Foundation — one for the second straight year.
Troy Mulholland, who participated in a physics program last summer at the University of Florida, and Courtney Bosse were selected for the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in which students conduct research at any of a number of host colleges or universities across the nation. Both will be seniors in the fall.
The REU appointments, awarded to students studying science, engineering or mathematics, are among the most prestigious summer opportunities available to undergraduates.
“The program was started by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as a way of getting undergraduates involved in the type of research projects that are funded by the NSF at the large research institutions in the United States,” said Dr. John F. Neeson, chair of the Department of Physics at St. Bonaventure. “It is a realistic recognition by the NSF of the fact that large research institutions benefit from the talent pool of students that is developed in a spectrum of institutions that exist in the country.”
Mulholland was selected for the University of Rochester’s REU program in physics and astronomy. He will conduct his research at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill.
“For Troy to get a second REU assignment, and to be asked to do his research at the Fermilab, is a truly a great accomplishment,” Neeson said.
Established in 1967, Fermilab is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics and is a joint venture of the University of Chicago and the Universities Research Association (URA). Fermilab’s Tevatron is a landmark particle accelerator; at 3.9 miles in circumference, it is the world’s second largest energy particle accelerator.
Bosse is one of eight undergraduates from across the country to be selected for the summer REU program in physics at Indiana University and the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF).
Bosse will be working with a faculty member or senior scientific staff member at IUCF on a computational project in condensed matter physics.
A star on the St. Bonaventure playing fields as well as in the classroom, Bosse was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference first team in women’s soccer. She led the Bonnies, who tied for third in the 14-team league, in goals (8) and points (17). Bosse also made the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 1 second team.
Both 10-week programs run from early June to early August and include seminars, workshops, field trips and free time for students to explore their locales. Each will receive a stipend of at least $4,200, as well as room and board.
“Troy and Courtney join a list of students representing our Physics Department that goes back to the inception of the program more than 20 years ago,” Neeson said. “This is a great reward for their efforts, and also for our faculty to know how much their training has meant.”
Mulholland is the son of Timothy and Belinda Mulholland of Dewittville, N.Y. Bosse is the daughter of Greg and Margaret Bosse of Carmel, Ind.
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About the University: St. Bonaventure is in the top 15 percent of institutions in U.S.News & World Report’s 2010 ranking of Northern universities that offer master’s degrees. It has a history of accomplishment and service that extends back 150 years. At the heart of St. Bonaventure University is the Franciscan affirmation of the dignity and worth of the entire created order. Fundamental to this vision is an awareness that it is within relationships and community that individuals discover and develop their potential.