Mission Statement
We are a group of physics majors focused on community, public outreach, and academic excellence. We strive towards these initiatives by hosting weekly meetings often including talks from professors on various fields of physics, sponsoring social events throughout the year to promote fellowship among the UVA physics community, and by engaging in several outreach programs beyond grounds including but not limited to working with students from local K-12 schools such as Charlottesville High School.
Executive Board 2026-2027
Name: Sydney Dixon
SPS Position: President
Major(s) / Minor(s): Physics Major & Art History Minor
Favorite Class: Quantum Computing, I like the intersection between computer science and quantum physics.
Favorite Class (outside physics): Art and Myth in the Ancient Mediterranean (with Tyler Jo Smith)
Name: Joseph Childress
SPS Position: Vice President
Majors: Physics BS, considering Environmental Science and/or Math major/minor
Research Interests: Application of physical principles to macroscopic environmental systems, computational physics, and condensed matter physics
Favorite Class: : MATH 3315 – Advanced Calculus and Linear Algebra II because of the exceptional instruction, wonderful people, and cohesive coverage of a huge amount of math; and also AMST 2001 – Introduction to American Studies, because I still talk about that class all the time with people.
Name: Jack Shadel
SPS Position: Sigma Pi Sigma President
Majors: Physics & Math
Research Interests: experimental particle physics, particularly statistical analysis and dark matter
Favorite Class: Quantum 1, Partial Differential Equations
Name: Chance Woodson
SPS Position: Sigma Pi Sigma Vice President
Major: Physics Major & Computer Science Minor
Research Interests: Computational condensed matter physics; quantum computing
Favorite Class: Quantum Physics I
Name: Kenzie
SPS Position: Treasurer
Majors: Physics & Astro
Name: William Black
SPS Position: Webmaster
Majors: Physics & Math
Research Interests: Quantum Computing & Information, Condensed Matter
Favorite Class: Quantum Field Theory!!
Name: Preston Le
SPS Position: Secretary
Major: Astro-Physics major & Data Science Minor
Research Interests: Computational High-Energy Astrophysics (e.g., micro-quasars, SMBH, galactic feedback, hydrodynamics)
Favorite Class: Introduction to Astrophysics II because the topics were super interesting!
Name: Eric Hegg
Major: Physics
Research: Biological Physics and Condensed Matter
Favorite Class: Quantum Physics I
Name: Pierce Tan
SPS Position: Outreach Cochair
Major: Physics
Research Interests: Computational High Energy
Favorite Class: Statistical Physics
Name: Thomas DeVito
SPS Position: Outreach Cochair
Majors: Physics & Electrical Engineering
Favorite Class: Classical Mechanics