Whitworth physics students accepted to prestigious graduate programs, internships

The Whitworth University Physics Department has plenty of good news to share about its students this spring.

A number of physics majors have been accepted to some of the nation's top graduate programs in their fields of study, while others have landed highly competitive internships that will give them valuable experience and networking opportunities. Below is a list of some of the students' recent achievements:

• Amanda Blunt, '12, who is earning a B.S. in engineering physics, has been accepted into several graduate programs in engineering, include Lehigh University and Columbia University, which is the No. 10-ranked engineering program in the U.S.
• Brisa Calderon, '12, who is majoring in physics, has been accepted to Carnegie Mellon University, the nation's No. 1-ranked engineering program, to study in their graduate program in computer engineering, specializing in human-machine interactions.
• Josue Calderon, '12, who is majoring in engineering physics, has been accepted to the University of Washington, the 13th-ranked engineering program in the U.S., to study in their graduate program in aerospace engineering.
• Chris Frick, '12, who is earning a B.S. in biophysics, has been offered full-tuition scholarships to several highly-ranked Ph.D. programs in molecular biophysics, including Princeton University, the California Institute of Technology, and Johns Hopkins University.
• Ben Hamming, '12, who is majoring in physics, has been accepted to several graduate programs in engineering, including the No. 5- ranked University of Illinois.
• Ben Rose, '12, who is majoring in physics, has been accepted to several graduate programs in nuclear astrophysics, including Notre Dame University.
• Andrew Ritchie, '13, who is majoring in physics, has been accepted to the U.S. Department of Energy's national undergraduate fellowship to conduct research at the Princeton University Plasma Physics Laboratory.
• Micah Spaun, '13, who is majoring in engineering physics, was selected from 1,123 top math, science and engineering students nationwide to receive a prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for 2012-13. Spaun also landed a NASA Academy internship, the most competitive and highest paid internship NASA offers, to work at the NASA Ames Research Center this summer. 
• Brayden Hollis, '14, who is majoring in physics, has been accepted to a summer research internship program at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
• Hannah LeTourneau, '14, who is majoring in physics, has been accepted to summer research internships at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.