College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

“The physics department is small but mighty. I have had the opportunity to get to know all of my professors and to truly see them as people. This has made my difficult classes so much more bearable,” said Chloe Jones, a senior from Bowling Green who graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and chemistry on May 4.

Jones said she originally came to WKU for the convenience of being close to home, making the transition from high school to college more seamless. When she arrived, she found a community within the physics and chemistry departments.

“I have met so many interesting, unique people just because we were struggling through the same physics, calculus and chemistry courses. These people have pushed me to be a better and more productive and prepared version of myself,” Jones explained.

Jones realized early on that a physics and chemistry combination would help guide her to her desired career path in materials science. Her experiences in computational physics and inorganic chemistry courses taught her valuable skills she intends to apply in her future career.

“I have had the wonderful opportunity to work as an undergraduate research assistant with Dr. Jasminka Terzic since the fall of 2021,” Jones explained. 

Working in Dr. Terzic’s condensed matter research lab gave Jones experience with materials, a variety of single-crystal growth techniques and characterization methods. Together, they are focusing on growth and characterization of novel double perovskite materials.

“I want to continue to work on discovering new materials that have cool properties and potential to be used in ways that make people’s lives easier,” Jones said. “The materials I’m working with have the potential to host fascinating magnetic, electrical, and thermal properties. They have potential uses in different electronics and applications as memory and storage devices.” 

In addition to her undergraduate research project, Jones is also involved in the Society of Physics Students and serves as president of Women in Physics.

“These clubs have given me the opportunity to display different physics-related activities with people who are not directly in the subject. I also had the opportunity to talk to elementary school aged girls about the subject I am in and show them cool demonstrations of it,” Jones said.

After graduation, Jones plans to pursue a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where she will also be working as a graduate research assistant.

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For more information about majoring in physics at WKU, visit www.wku.edu/physics.

For more information about majoring in chemistry at WKU, visit www.wku.edu/chemistry.

#WKUGrad series:  As part of our #WKUGrad series, articles on graduating students are shared in the weeks leading up to Spring Recognition Ceremonies. See all of their stories at:https://www.wku.edu/news/articles/index.php?view=default&categoryid=799&multinewsid=187