Physics student third in WMU history to win NSF graduate research fellowship A student who recently earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from WMU has won a prestigious research fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Enrique Gamez is one of 2,000 individuals from across the country to win a 2015 NSF Graduate Student Fellowship out of some 16,500 who applied for the program. The fellowship recognizes outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees. The fellowship provides three years of financial support within a five-year fellowship period—a $34,000 annual stipend and $12,000 cost-of-education allowance to a fellow’s graduate institution—for study that leads to a research-based master’s or doctoral degree in science or engineering. This fall, Gamez begins a doctoral program in particle physics at the University of Michigan. He completed his studies at WMU in December. As a WMU undergraduate, Gamez says that his physics professors created an environment that supported his success and curiosity, even as he began delving into particle physics, a branch of physics in which no current faculty member specializes. They also included him in their research endeavors. “The professors are good teachers, very friendly, and eager to help students,” Gamez says. “The community and professors who care about students and care about students succeeding in physics have done a lot for me.” But a Ph.D. in physics is not what Gamez originally envisioned for himself when he began taking community college courses as a K-12 student who was homeschooled. His fascination with manipulating basic elements to create a finished product led him to music. “I thought I was going to be a composer of music. There weren’t any music classes at (Kalamazoo Valley Community College), but there were math classes, so that got me on that track,” he says. After taking several math and science classes at KVCC, Gamez transferred to WMU to major in electrical engineering. However, he was quickly drawn back to classes in the core sciences. Specifically, he enjoyed that physics classes explained “how the world worked at its most basic level.” Gamez was involved in two projects related to his research interests. He worked with Dr. Alan Wuosmaa (now at the University of Connecticut). He also collaborated with Drs. Asghar Kayani and Paul Pancella in their research using the WMU Van de Graaf Accelerator to measure a type of nuclear reaction. As someone who felt supported and well-prepared by his own accomplished professors, Gamez is interested in becoming one himself in the future. “I like the idea of staying in academia,” he says. “I think I have the potential to be a pretty decent teacher.” n
28
wmich.edu/magazine