Katherine Aidala

Katherine E. Aidala is an American physicist. She is a professor of physics at Mount Holyoke College and a Fellow of the American Physical Society.

Katherine Aidala
Academic background
EducationB.S., applied physics and psychology, Yale University
M.A., Ph.D., applied physics, 2006, Harvard University
ThesisImaging magnetic focusing in a two-dimension electron gas (2006)
Academic work
InstitutionsMount Holyoke College

Early life and education

Aidala obtained a B.S. in applied physics and psychology from Yale University in 2001.[1] At Yale, she was involved in the Rob Schoelkopf Lab, a quantum computing research lab with a focus on superconductors.[2] She then received her M.A. in applied physics from Harvard University, followed by her Ph.D. in applied physics from Harvard in 2006.[3] At Harvard, she was involved in building the He-3 cooled scanning probe microscope at the Robert Westervelt Group, eventually writing her dissertation based on her research with the group, titled "Imaging Magnetic Focusing in a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas."[4][5]

Career

Upon accepting a faculty position at Mount Holyoke College, Aidala received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers,[6] and an NSF CAREER award for her work in nanophysics.[7] She was also named a Cottrell Scholar of 2009 by the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement.[8] In an effort to make science more approachable, Aidala started a bi-monthly SciTech Cafe and Organismic and Evolutionary Biology cafes in 2013 where local scientists could casually discuss their fields.[9] She also established a Makerspace at Mount Holyoke College to encourage women to enter STEM disciplines.[10]

During her tenure at Mount Holyoke College, Aidala's research has focused on charge transport in nanocrystal quantum dots. She uses scanning probe microscopy to improve the efficiency of nanostructures and the devices that employ them. In recognition of her efforts, she received the 2016 Meribeth E. Cameron Faculty Award for Scholarship.[11] Aidala also earned the American Physical Society (APS) 2020 Prize for a Faculty Member for Research in an Undergraduate Institution.[12]

In October 2020, Aidala was elected a Fellow of the APS "for her innovative development of scanning probe techniques to characterize soft materials, study disordered semiconductors, and apply azimuthal magnetic fields to magnetic nanostructured materials; for exceptional mentoring of undergraduate women in physics; and promoting public appreciation of science."[13]

References
  1. "2020 Prize for a Faculty Member for Research in an Undergraduate Institution Recipient".
  2. "Former Undergraduate Students | Schoelkopf Lab". rsl.yale.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
  3. "Obama Names Mount Holyoke Professor a Top Young Scientist". www.newswise.com. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
  4. Aidala, Katherine (2006). Imaging Magnetic Focusing in a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas.
  5. "Westervelt Research Group". meso.seas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
  6. "Dr. Katherine E. Aidala, 2011 PECASE Recipient". chm.pse.umass.edu. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  7. "Nanophysics work earns NSF Early Career Award". nanowerk.com. April 13, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  8. "Cottrell Scholars Sorted by Institution" (PDF). rescorp.org. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  9. Davis, Andrew (June 4, 2013). "'Science cafes' feed hunger for technical understanding". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  10. "Editorial: Makerspace; HCC collaboration; training nurses". Daily Hampshire Gazette. December 10, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  11. Savoie, Keely (March 10, 2016). "Four MHC professors receive faculty awards". mtholyoke.edu. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  12. "Katherine Aidala of Mount Holyoke College Honored for Undergraduate Physics Teaching". wiareport.com. November 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  13. Sexton, Keely (October 1, 2020). "Katherine Aidala named 2020 APS Fellow". mtholyoke.edu. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.