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Statement of Interest for Olivia Cypull

A common question in any upper-level math class is When am I ever going


to use this? I often found myself among these students, until I took my first physics
class in high school. To me physics gave math a noble reason- trying to make sense
of the underlying rules that govern our universe. For years I thought the only
worthwhile way to furthering our understanding was the study of particle physics
and astronomy, until I saw a presentation on soft condensed matter. How is it that
humans can discover new subatomic particles, but still dont understand a pile of
sand? Now I better understand the complexity of these physics problems, but still
my primary interest lies in the fields of soft condensed matter physics and complex
systems.
I started my undergraduate career at JMU as a mathematics major, but
quickly realized I had made a mistake. Half-way through my first semester I made
one of the most important decisions of my life and started the paperwork to become
a physics major as well as a mathematics major. Within a year of starting physics
classes, I sought out our departments soft matter physicist and began research
with him. My first undertaking in the lab was taking over a graduating seniors
research project, Droplet Dynamics of a Coarsening Emulsion System. I joined this
project too late to be involved with data collection, but still was able to recreate how
the experiments were done to gain the experience. I spent the majority of summer
2014 analyzing the data for this project in IDL, learning valuable programming skills
and critical thinking skills. The following summer I began two new projects, Droplet
Dynamics in a Flowing Emulsion System and Bubble Deformation at the Air-Water
Interface. Unlike the previous summer, I started both of these projects at the
beginning, designing a creating the experimental apparatuses as well as laying out
the procedures. Through this, I learned how troubleshooting is an inherent, and
often time-consuming, part of physics research. The work on bubble deformation is
a 4-VA collaborative project between James Madison and Virginia Tech, with JMU
focusing on the experimental aspect and VT modeling and researching theory. My
lab members interacted via teleconference on a regular basis, which really brought
the groups together. Later in the summer another student joined our lab and began
working on the bubble deformation project. This development taught me how to
collaborate on a research project as well as how to relinquish control. It wouldnt

have been efficient for me to head both projects, so my colleague was given
primary status on the bubble deformation project, while I was then able to spend
more time on my flowing emulsion research while still being available to help my
colleague if needed. All three of these projects have led to presentations at soft
condensed matter physics and general physics conferences.
As Ive progressed in my academic career, I have become increasingly sure
that I made the right decision when I become as physics major. I still plan to finish
my math major, but I do not have the same passion or skill for pure mathematics as
I do for applied math and physics, which my transcript grades so. Even if my math
courses have lowered my overall GPA, I am still glad to have taken them, learning
what I could. This semester I am thrilled to be taking math/physics courses that are
directly related to the research that interests me, Intro to Fluid Dynamics and
Non-Linear Dynamics and Chaos. These courses provide me with greater
conceptual understanding of the physics that interests me as well as practice
solving actual problems, which I think will prove useful in the future.
My research and classes at JMU have been great start to my physics career
and taught me important lessons, but I want to see what another institution has to
offer and what I can offer another institution. I hope this research with expand the
way I think about physics research and soft condensed matter/complex systems,
providing me with knowledge and skills that will surely prove valuable when I apply
to graduate school as well as many other facets of my life.

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