This summer, more than 80 students and faculty kept campus abuzz with the hum of hands-on field and lab research. The Seaver Summer Research Community’s work covered topics in biology, health and human sciences, mechanical engineering, computer science and more disciplines across the college. With such a diversity of research projects to choose from, we spoke to some of the students about their unique summer experience. Today, we spotlight math major Weston LaRhette ’25, mentored by physics professor Jonas Mureika.
Describe your research in a way that a high school student would understand it.
Our understanding of the large scale nature of gravity (think stars, planets, black holes) is incompatible with our understanding of quantum physics and the particle nature of matter if we try to understand gravitation as a quantum theory. The nature of how gravity works at the most fundamental levels is known as quantum gravity and is still not understood well by physicists mostly due to a lack of any experimental evidence relating to the theory. My research involves seeing the experimental and theoretical implications of something called the Generalized Uncertainty Principle, which is a feature of quantum gravity predicted by some of the contending theories that are supposed to explain how quantum gravity arises. My research focuses on the potential experimental detectability of the Generalized Uncertainty Principle in tabletop experiments proposed to indirectly experiment on quantum gravity.
Why would someone outside your field be interested in your project?
Quantum gravity is one of the biggest currently unresolved mysteries facing 21st century physics. My project may be interesting to someone outside my field because it is a part of an effort to unravel this mystery.
What are some of the lessons students learn while working on research?
Students learn how to be patient with progress and results, how to believe themselves, how to be humble without lacking self-confidence, how to be more disciplined, and how to dedicate yourself to a long-term passion pursuit.
How does doing research complement coursework?
It offers a chance to dig deep on a very specific niche topic that may be broadly related to some of your coursework in a way that enables learning that goes beyond the classroom.
What advice would you give to someone on the fence about doing research?
Just try it. Research is a unique thing in that you can almost never understand what the process is like, and consequently if you enjoy it, until you have tried it. It’s not a wasted effort if you end up disliking it because its important to establish what you don’t want to do in your career especially if you are in STEM fields.
Will your work this summer lead to any foreseeable outcomes (i.e. publications, presentations, poster sessions, patent applications, etc.)?
My work is going to continue developing and become my undergraduate thesis which will be presented at LMU symposiums or poster sessions, and hopefully at other physics conferences. Ideally it could turn into a publication, but we’ll have to see about that.
Do you plan to continue your project in the future? If so, when?
Yes, I am going to continue working on my project throughout the summer and during the rest of my college time.
Do you have anything you would want to share with current or future donors to the SOAR program?
Thank you so much for funding this program! Undergraduate research is so important for laying the seeds of the future’s scientists and your generosity undoubtedly plays a major role in inspiring us students to pursue a career in research. Your generosity has helped me personally to discover how I feel about research and make me determined to apply to graduate school.
