MSU’s Gates Scholar has high energy for high-energy particles

Contact: Ronald Fisher, MSU Honors College, (517) 355-2326,  fisherr1@msu.edu; or Kristin K. Anderson, University Relations, (517) 353-8819,  ander284@msu.edu

(Editor’s note: An electronic photo of Victoria Moeller is available from Pam Jahnke at jahnkep@msu.edu.)

March 8, 2007

EAST LANSING, Mich. — High-energy physics may not be on your radar screen, but for Victoria Moeller, a senior at Michigan State University and a 2007 Gates Cambridge Scholar, physics is a way of life.

Her passion for physics began in high school, but was enhanced by her academic, teaching and research experiences at and through the university.

“I understand the world through physics, and have a lifelong appreciation and passion for both math and science,” said Moeller, who jump-started her research career as an MSU freshman.

The Chicago student served as a professorial assistant at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and as a teaching assistant in the physics and astronomy department. In her first project as a professorial assistant she, her supervisor from Chile, and her co-researchers from Russia and Spain, worked on accelerator research and development, as well as spending time conversing about their different cultures and governments.

All of her MSU research experiences, including her work on gamma ray spectroscopy at the cyclotron, inspired her to apply for the Fermilab Internship for Physics Majors program in 2005, and a 2006 National Science Foundation summer research experience for undergraduates at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, commonly known as CERN, in Switzerland.

She will pursue her doctorate in high energy physics at the University of Cambridge in England, and complete her research at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The collider, like the cyclotron at MSU, provides a glimpse into what formed the universe, and what happened afterward.

“Colliders and accelerators are tools for investigating the universe, with the potential for discovering physics beyond our current understanding,” she said. “I want to understand what happened in those first few seconds following the Big Bang.

“MSU is the reason I received those opportunities. I have worked with many outstanding people in both physics and political science at the university,” she said. “I could not have achieved something like being honored with a Gates Cambridge award without the support and guidance of many people, including faculty and mentors Elizabeth Simmons, Charles Ostrom, Steven Kautz and Krzysztof Starosta.”

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship awards cover the full cost of graduate study at Cambridge – generally one year for a master’s degree, and three to four for a Ph.D. – at a value of $40,000 to $50,000 per year. This includes tuition, room and board, and a stipend for books and travel. There were approximately 600 nominated candidates from the U.S and 48 scholarships awarded.

"This prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship is a wonderful recognition for Victoria, as well as for her faculty mentors and the university in general," said Ronald Fisher, dean of MSU's Honors College."As a result of her exceptional talents as both a physicist and policy analyst, Victoria is unusually well situated not only to conduct research, but also to advise government about the increasingly complex issues involving public support for and regulation of scientific research."

Moeller, who also will pursue an advanced degree in public policy, says her studies at MSU and at Cambridge will help her serve society by developing science policy for the national governments.

“I believe we need more people working in United States government in science policy who have a deep knowledge of the science itself,” she said. “My undergraduate studies and internships at home and abroad will help me serve society in developing science policy to help the international science community make informed decisions and investments.”

Moeller will graduate in May 2007 with degrees in physics in the College of Natural Science, and in public policy and administration in the College of Social Science. The daughter of James and Margaret Moeller, she is a 2003 graduate of Loyola Academy. She is a member of the MSU Honors College.

For more about the Gates Cambridge Scholars program, visit the Web at www.gates.scholarships.cam.ac.uk