CMU physics students and faculty gather in Anaheim for global physics summit

Past and present members of Central Michigan University’s Physics Department recently gathered in Anaheim, California, for the APS Global Physics Summit, an event that brought together over 14,000 members of the scientific community. Held from March 16–21, 2025, this special summit combined the APS March and April Meetings, covering a broad spectrum of cutting-edge research, from condensed matter science to nuclear physics and astrophysics.

“It was exciting to see the progress in these fields, especially around the development of quantum technologies and our understanding of quantum science,” said Matt Redshaw, Chair of the Department of Physics at CMU. “But it was even more exciting to see first-hand the success of our current and former physics students and know that CMU has played a part in their journey.”

CMU faculty played key roles in the conference, with physics faculty member Alan Jackson serving as Chair of the APS Division of Computational Physics. In this role, Jackson was responsible for organizing all sessions related to computational physics and had the honor of presenting the prestigious 2025 Metropolis Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the field.

The summit was held in celebration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and featured a wide range of research presentations. Among the attendees were four CMU Physics faculty members—Professors Alan Jackson, Juan Peralta, Valeri Petkov, and Matt Redshaw, along with two current Ph.D. students, Dilanka Perera and Irin Sultana.

CMU’s influence extended beyond its current faculty and students, as several alumni returned to the summit, representing their new institutions and continued academic achievements:

• Dakota Keblbeck (former undergraduate, now a PhD student at Colorado School of Mines)

• Kushantha Withanage (former PhD student, now a postdoc at the University of Texas, El Paso)

• Trivanni Yadev (former MS student, now a graduate student at the University of Tulsa)

• Fhokrul Islam (former faculty, now a faculty member at the University of Texas, El Paso)

• Rahul Sahay (former undergraduate/high school student, now a graduate student at Harvard)

• Elise Novitski (former undergraduate/high school student, now a faculty member at the University of Washington)

The event served not only as a platform for scientific discussion but also as a reunion of CMU physicists past and present, showcasing the department’s impact on the broader physics community.

“It’s always rewarding to see how our students and colleagues continue to thrive,” Redshaw added. “Events like this really drive home the connections we’ve built over the years.”

Visit the Physics Department at CMU to learn more.