Gaining research experience and participating in the discovery of new knowledge are among the most meaningful and exciting efforts any of us can ever under take, students and faculty alike. Such experience can also lead to unexpected outcomes. One such outcome allowed Erica Raheja, our student of the month to start off the 2008 New Year, to participate in a very interesting project at the Fermi Labs in Illinois last year. She and fellow physics students invited from around the country were asked to work on creating a ‘roadmap’ for the future of physics. This was the first such effort of its kind and was sponsored by Robert Galvin, former CEO of Motorola.  It was a daunting challenge to all involved, as they soon discovered. It still is. While the work on this project is ongoing and its resolution a distant target, it is significant to note that the most important aspect of this activity for Erica was being invited to participate in the first place.

Erica is a physics major working on research in the area of high energy physics, which involves efforts to discover new particles of matter, particularly heavy neutrinos. She is being mentored by Dr. Sanjib Mishra, a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at USC, who frequently works at the accelerator facilities at Fermi lab as well as other such facilities around the world. It was her active engagement in research with Dr. Mishra that led to her invitation to the ‘roadmap’ conference. The chance for our students to participate in these kinds of activities comes from having a strong and active research faculty in the college who are willing to take undergraduate students into their labs, train them and provide experiences and opportunities that will allow them to develop as individuals and as young scientists and professionals.

Erica is from Laurens, SC, where she attended Thornwell High School before transferring to the Governor’s School for Science and Math in Hartsville, SC.  Her parents Arvin and Margaret Raheja are both in medical practice, and her brother is a student at Greenville Technical College.  While Erica’s original plan was to major in mathematics, her introductory courses in physics at the Governor’s school changed her mind completely. She had found what she wanted to do.  Erica has very successfully continued as a Physics major at USC, where she has been on the Dean’s or President’s List every semester.

Erica has continued to avail herself of opportunities at USC, particularly in international travel. She went to England on a study abroad adventure over the summer of 2007 and explored London in a way that very few visitors get the chance to do. She took a course in Public History of London and got to see the nooks and crannies of that great city from ancient Roman times to today. She enjoys travel and has visited much of Western Europe, as well as parts of China and Central America. She speaks Spanish and intends to pursue a minor in that discipline. She is going to Germany in Maymester 2008 as part of a Nuclear Reactor Program under the mentorship of Dr. Ralf Gothe. While there she will help collect data and add to her impressive resume of experiences in physics. Erica is intending to go on to Graduate School in Physics, but has not yet decided what institution to attend, or in what area of Physics to specialize. If her past academic performance and affinity for research are indicators of her future success, that future in physics will be bright. We are proud to have Erica Raheja as our College of Arts and Sciences student of the month for January.

Back to Archive