Physics Graduate Student Association (PGSA)
Who We Are
The Drexel Physics Graduate Student Association (PGSA) is a group of Physics Graduate Students at Drexel University. However, we are more than just a random gathering of students. We are a group of students seeking to learn about a variety of areas of physics, including those areas that would normally lie outside our own specialties. Moreover, we are about more than just physics, we discuss topics as varied as getting a job after graduation to how to write grants to just about anything.
What We Do
Each week (or every other week, depending on schedules) typically on Fridays, we gather in Disque Hall to listen to a talk about a subject of interest given by one of our members. People volunteer to give talks on things that they personally find interesting, with the agreement of the rest of the organization. Of course, a free lunch is provided, so there's no reason not to stop by! In the interest of full disclosure, in order to encourage people to give talks on a variety of subjects in a free-wheeling atmosphere, we do discourage faculty attendance at these meetings. Of course, we are usually willing to waive this rule, if the circumstances warrant it. During Covid quarantining however, we have adapted to virtual zoom lunches in which we still listen to talks, but do not gather for lunches for safety reasons.
Check out all of our events
Get Involved!
If you're interested in joining on the discussions or presenting a lecture, email us at drexelpgsa@gmail.com. You can also contact a member of our executive board below:
2020-2021 Leadership
Justin Gambrell
President
Email: jeg357@drexel.edu
Justin (he/him) is a third year PhD candidate specializing in Physics Education Research (PER). He is currently investigating the computational skills associated with introductory physics by conducting interviews with physicists in industry and academia. He enjoys any sort of competition whether it be sports, board games, video games, etc.
Mark Fugate
Vice President and VP of Communications
Email: mkf64@drexel.edu
Mark is a second year grad student specializing in experimental biophysics. His research involves studying pathological forms of human hemoglobin. Aside from physics, he enjoys music and exploring the city.
Evan Arena
Vice President of Finance
Email: eja55@drexel.edu
Evan is a third year PhD student specializing in mostly theoretical cosmology and astrophysics. He is particularly interested in how gravitational lensing by the large-scale structure of the universe can be a useful probe of theories of gravity. Outside of research, Evan enjoys conversations about philosophy and science of all fields (especially those that come into contact with politics), listening to and playing music, and watching and playing sports.
William Farner
Vice president of Diversity and Inclusion
Email: wrf28@drexel.edu
Will is a third-year student specializing in computational astrophysics, specifically the evolution of binary star systems. He enjoys playing video games and failing to explain quantum mechanics to his cat.
Jacob Shpiece
Vice president of Diversity and Inclusion
Email: js4664@drexel.edu
Jacob is a third year graduate student studying gravitational lensing. When not dealing with misbehaving code, he can be found reading, LARPing, finding excuses to quote Terry Pratchett, and fencing.