Biographical Information:
KARSTEN M. HEEGER - Graduate student at the University
of Washington in
Seattle since 1995. Member of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
(SNO).
Research interests include the properties of solar neutrinos,
nuclear astrophysics,
and weak interactions.
Earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) from Oxford University,
England, in 1999 and a
Master of Science (M.Sc.) in physics from the University
of Washington, Seattle,
in 1996. Graduated with honors (B.A. Hons) from Oxford
University in 1995.
Received the Mellam Fellowship (2000), Dahlstrom prize
(2000), and the Karrer
Memorial Scholarship (1996) at the University of Washington
and was awarded
several academic distinctions at Oxford University between
1992-1995. Scholar
of the German National Scholarship Foundation between
1992-1997.
Elected member (MInstP) of the British Institute of Physics
(IOP) and graduate
member of the American Physical Society (APS), the European
Physical Society
(EPS), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE).
Candidate Statement:
As a member of the FGSA executive committee I would
like to see the FGSA develop to become a strong and
active community of graduate students in the APS. I
envision that the communications and activities of
the FGSA will enhance the graduate school experience
of our student members and assist them in their
professional development.
While the scope of the FGSA is very broad my main
goal is to improve the communication amongst graduate
students and facilitate the interaction between
senior and junior members of the APS. I believe that
graduate students in the physical sciences would
benefit greatly from an improved personal and
professional exchange across institutions nationwide.
This can be achieved by providing students with the necessary
framework for interaction within the APS as well as supporting
them with the
information needed for a successful experience in graduate
school. This may
include the organization of graduate student meetings
at major APS conferences,
moderating email discussions of a variety of topics related
to our graduate careers,
as well as providing specific information to students
in transition periods at the
beginning or end of their graduate career.
For the future of the FGSA I aim to build a strong and
diverse membership. With
the input from a large membership and the help of the
executive committee we
can develop a forum that meets the needs and demands
of the graduate students
in the APS.
With my own graduate studies nearing completion I have
experienced almost all
phases of a graduate career and would like to pass on
this experience. My
international education has prepared me to represent
a broad range of the diverse
community of graduate students in the APS and I feel
well qualified to help
organize the efforts of the FGSA.