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GSSM Senior, Mary Rusthoven, Presents Scientific Research at the American Physical Society Conference
November 18, 2007
On Friday, November 9, Mary Rusthoven, a senior at the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM), presented her recent research findings at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society (SESAPS) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Rusthoven's research was the result of her participation in GSSM's Summer Program for Research Interns (SPRI) at Francis Marion University (FMU) during Summer 2007. SPRI is a statewide outreach program designed to pair GSSM's academically talented students with scientist mentors in research and development labs across the state for a six-week internship.
Rusthoven's project title was "N-body Simulations of a Collision Between the Milky Way Galaxy and the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy." It was co-presented with her mentor, Dr. Jeanette M. Myers, faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at FMU.
"When I began my research last summer, I was almost sure that I wanted to go into the field of astrophysics research," said Rusthoven. "After the six week internship, I'd learned more about the field than I ever could have learned from a conventional class - including the fact that I really did want to focus my career in this direction."
Rusthoven, of Florence, is the daughter of Michael and Ann Rusthoven.
SPRI is a graduation requirement at GSSM and is open to other qualified South Carolina high schoolers each summer.
For more information on the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, please contact Jacqulyne Pouncey at the GSSM Foundation.
