Department of Physics

Athena Smith

While finding her place at Radford University, Athena took advantage of every opportunity offered to her. She quickly became involved in our Society of Physics Students (SPS), finding a strong community with her fellow physics majors. In her sophomore year she participated in the 2024 Arctic Geophysics Research Experience where the developed her prototype load cell-based 3d anemometer. She successfully presented this work at the 2024 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. She was the 2024 Appalachian Power Artis College Summer Research Fellow. She became the President of the SPS and led them in not only physics activities such as the yearly weeked of radio astronomy at the Green Bank Observatory, but also community-building through the ever-popular Pumpkin Drop, hikes in the mountains, nights in the Planetarium for movie nights and games of Jeopary and Kahoot, and Game Nights in The Bonnie student center.

She participated in a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates at Princeton University in 2025. She was designated an Elevate Research Student Mentor for the 2025-2026 Arctic Geophysics Reseach Experience and not only mentored the other students in soldering, microcontroller programming, wiring, electronics and troubleshooting, but she also developed her final version of her unique load cell-based 3d anemometer. She successfully deployed this on the sea ice in early March of 2026, alongside the students that she had mentored throughout the year. And throughout her time here she was an outstanding Physics Laboratory Teaching Assistant, helping introduce so many students to her love of the field. She had a job offer in hand 7 months before her May 2, 2026 graduation from NAVSEA, the Naval Sea Systems Command in Dhalgren, VA, doing the theoretical and hands-on engineering work that supports our U. S. Navy.