EdEon News | July 23, 2025

Celebrating Innovation, Discovery, and Community: The Physics Major Newsletter 2025

The Department of Physics & Astronomy and EdEon STEM Learning at Sonoma State University are proud to unveil the latest edition of The Physics Major newsletter — a celebration of student achievement, groundbreaking research, and the enduring spirit of scientific curiosity.

GROWTH-Fueled Success

This issue begins with a spotlight on the Department of Energy–funded GROWTH program (Growing Research Opportunities with Traineeship in High Energy Physics), which has empowered Sonoma State students to engage in cutting-edge particle physics research. From dark matter detection to Higgs boson analysis, Physics students like Bahareh Adami Ardestani and Madison Ambriz are not only conducting vital experiments at national labs like Lawrence Berkeley and Livermore but are earning Top Presenter Awards at the APS Global Physics Summit.

A Year of Diverse and Impactful Capstone Projects

This year’s senior research projects truly illustrate the range and depth of student talent:

• Aaron Russell crafted an approachable primer on Conformal Field Theory to aid future researchers.
  
• Madison Ambriz improved quark-identifying algorithms for the ATLAS experiment at CERN.
  
• Katherine Bradley brought Earth’s energy budget to life through immersive VR simulations.
  
• Joaquin Diaz engineered a bike-powered magnetic phone charger.
  
• Bahareh Ardestani analyzed vibrational noise in sensors used for dark matter detection at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

From quantum computing explorations to hands-on astronomy curriculum development, the capstones emphasize real-world impact, technical innovation, and passion for scientific education.

Momentous Transitions

This issue also marks a pivotal moment in EdEon STEM Learning’s history. Prof. Lynn Cominsky, after nearly four decades of transformative work in both the Physics & Astronomy department and EdEon, is stepping into semi-retirement. She is passing the EdEon leadership torch to her collaborator Dr. Laura Peticolas, now Director of EdEon. Joining as Associate Director is Dr. Raquell Holmes, an innovator and national leader in ensemble-based scientific collaboration.