Alumnus author Procheta C.V. Mallik, a native of Bangalore, India, graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2005 with a B.S. in physics (Honors Program). In 2004 he was awarded a grant from the International Research Opportunities Program (IROP) to study the Fast Neutron Imaging Telescope (FNIT) at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. While completing his IROP research, Procheta learned that science isn’t always as clear-cut as one may expect it to be. “A lot of questions remain unanswered and research is an eternal search for a more accurate explanation of the truth,” he says. “This is even more pertinent for astronomy where we will forever be limited by the distance to the objects we study.” After graduating from UNH he returned to the University of Glasgow, where he earned a Ph.D. in astronomy in February 2010. “The IROP project was instrumental in my choosing a Ph.D. project as well as in shaping my academic career,” says Procheta. Though he is uncertain of his long-term career plans, he has “an enormous passion for nature and the environment” and sees himself possibly working for renewable energy technology research, sustainable development and wildlife conservation. Procheta currently is a post-doctoral research assistant at the University of Glasgow.
A member of the Department of Physics at the University of New Hampshire for thirty-two years, Professor James M. Ryan specializes in astrophysics and solar physics. A mentor to numerous undergraduates over the years, he says he has “had the privilege of mentoring and training many excellent students. It is satisfying to see them prosper and grow based on the experience they gain here at UNH.” Dr. Ryan explains that the instrument Procheta worked on was one of the first prototypes designed to explore solar neutrons. “I knew full well that Procheta would succeed on this, benefiting him greatly but also benefiting his advisor in Glasgow and me. We are still building on the work that he did,” says Ryan. “The final incarnation of [FNIT] is now being proposed for the Solar Probe Plus mission to be launched in 2018.”
Read Procheta C.V. Mallik’s commentary Education on Three Continents >>
