Justin Schultz
Justin T. Schultz , a senior at Juniata College from Economy, Pa. studying both physics and mathematics, was selected to be a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Justin is working as part of the Atomic Physics group studying ultra-cold atoms in optical lattices with NIST scientist Ian Speilman. The group is headed by Juniata Alum and 1997 Nobel Laureate in physics, Dr. Bill Phillips.
In the summer of 2006, Justin took advantage of the research opportunities at Juniata. Under the supervision of Dr. Jamie White, Justin began research in “frequency up-conversion in rubidium vapor.” That summer, Justin presented a poster on “measuring the speed of light using an adjustable-cavity helium-neon laser,” at the American Association of Physics Teachers national conference in Syracuse, New York.
Justin spent his junior year studying at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland as a recipient of the MacFarland Scholarship from the St. Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia. The St. Andrew’s Society gives out five highly-competitive $17,000 scholarships annually for college students in their junior year to study abroad at one of four prestigious Scottish universities. During his year abroad, Justin was also able to obtain a Goldwater Scholarship Honorable Mention.
In addition to being a teaching assistant for the year-long introductory physics laboratory during his sophomore year, Justin is also a peer-tutor in both physics and mathematics. Helping other students is an important part of education at Juniata.
For the past three years, Justin has also been an active member of Juniata College’s chapter of the Society of Physics Students, which has been recognized by the national organization for the past eight years straight with an Outstanding Chapter Award. He is currently serving as president of Juniata’s chapter of SPS and won a SPS Leadership Scholarship for his past efforts. Justin is also vice-president of Juniata’s circle of Omicron Delta Kappa—the leadership honor society. Previously, Justin was president of the Null Set, Juniata’s mathematics club of which he has also been a member for three years.
Justin’s life is not completely about mathematics and physics; he is also a member of the Juniata College Concert Choir. The choir has toured in Brazil and Mexico. It had the distinction of appearing on national television for a televised Christmas special for the Church of the Brethren.
After graduation, Justin is planning on attending graduate school to study physics.