Alicia Hernandez-Castillo Former Research Members

Ezra Bacon-Gershman is a senior chemistry major with an HMC concentration in linguistics. He is also on the CMS Track and Field team and enjoys throwing things really far. He spent the last two summers working with Professor Van Ryswyk on his Quantum Dot Solar Cell team. There, he deepened his love of chemistry and found a new love for the SEM and will be opening a gallery for his artwork in the spring. Bacon looks forward to working on his thesis and making the most of his senior year at Harvey Mudd.

Laura is intrigued by how a molecule’s structure relates to its properties and how it interacts with others. She has a peculiar (maybe ironic) interest in nanomaterials even though thinking deeply about quantum theory makes her brain hurt. On the weekends, she enjoys learning new dances with her friends and has started a tradition of filming a dance cover.

Caroline is a sophomore planning to major in either Chemistry or Math-Physics with a concentration in either philosophy, music or French—and as you can probably tell from the first part of this sentence, she’s very indecisive. She absolutely loves being a part of the MolSpec lab and couldn’t ask for a better group! When she’s not working, she enjoys journaling, traveling, and hiking. 

Jee-In is a Physics major often humbled by the number of times physics concludes her observations and instincts to be false. At Pomona, she turns into an English major. You can find her avidly consuming books, scribbling away in notebooks, and ruminating over metaphysical uncertainty. She is excited to be a part of the MolSpec group and take a small step in understanding the mechanism of anesthetics.

Elena is a sophomore probably studying CS and physics with a history concentration. She’s excited to learn about the challenges of building a new lab and to work on such an interesting interdisciplinary problem! In her free time, she likes to write, eat chocolate, and watch or read mysteries.

Diana is a rising sophomore planning to major in computer science and math with a concentration in art. However, she has had a love for chemistry since taking AP chemistry during high school and is excited to learn more chemistry while working in this lab. She is especially excited to discover ways that computer science, math, and chemistry intersect and work together in this project. Outside of the lab, Diane loves doing taekwondo, drawing, and spending time outdoors.