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Erica Brockmeier

Articles from Erica K. Brockmeier
The search for Planet 9, 10, and beyond
a large black circle in the center of the milky way galaxy with a very small Sun in the background

Artist’s impression of Planet Nine, depicted as a dark sphere with the Milky Way in the background. Neptune’s orbit is shown as a small ellipse around the Sun. The sky view and appearance are based on the conjectures of Planet Nine’s co-proposer, Mike Brown (Image: Tom Ruen).

The search for Planet 9, 10, and beyond

Planetary scientists and cosmologists at Penn work together to find planets that might be hiding in the far reaches of the solar system.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Answering big questions by studying small particles
inside the sno+ detector A view inside the SNO detector, a 40-foot acrylic sphere that’s covered with thousands of photodetectors. The facility is located in SNOLAB, a research facility located 2km underground near Sudbury, Canada (Photo credit: SNO+ Collaboration).

Answering big questions by studying small particles

Using electronics designed at Penn, particle physicists study neutrinos, incredibly small and nearly massless subatomic particles, to understand the fundamental nature of the universe.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Women in Physics Group inspires the next generation of physicists and astronomers
a group of women talking while sitting around a table

Willman (center) and a group of undergraduates, including physics majors as well as students studying other STEM-related disciplines, chatted informally over breakfast about their personal experiences as STEM students and researchers.   

Women in Physics Group inspires the next generation of physicists and astronomers

Students had the opportunity to interact with a world-renowned astronomer during a day of informal get-togethers, networking events, and physics lectures at the annual conference.

Erica K. Brockmeier

The math behind March Madness
a close-up of a basketball play drawn on a chalkboard

The math behind March Madness

A Q&A with statistician Shane Jensen, who discusses the math behind sports team rankings, why March Madness has so many underdog victories, and how technology might change how analysts study sports teams in the future.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Groundbreaking chemistry research at record speeds
High-Throughput Experimentation Laboratory

Groundbreaking chemistry research at record speeds

The state-of-the-art High-Throughput Experimentation Laboratory helps chemistry researchers make new discoveries in record time.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Bridge to Ph.D. program provides a way forward for greater access in STEM fields
a group of students and a professor looking at a chalk board covered in math equations

Penn’s Bridge to Ph.D. program provides students from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to earn master’s degrees in mathematics while also preparing for a Ph.D. The students are advised by Ryan Hynd (not pictured) and Philip Gressman (center). 

Bridge to Ph.D. program provides a way forward for greater access in STEM fields

The pilot program in the Department of Mathematics enables students from underrepresented groups to become the next generation of enterprising mathematicians.

Erica K. Brockmeier

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