Mathematics and Physics Alumni Spotlight

Bennett McAuley graduated from NCCU in Fall 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Mathematics, Computational and Engineering Mathematics (CEMA) concentration, with a focus in Data Science. He is now a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program manager at SAS, responsible for spearheading the ongoing development of the organization’s Employee Inclusion Group (EIG) program. He also serves as the data and analytics reporting lead for SAS’ DEI efforts, in partnership with the HR People Analytics team. While working full-time, he obtained a Master of Statistics from NC State. His ongoing mission is to merge his technical and analytical knowledge with his passion for helping underrepresented groups thrive in their careers and personal lives.

Words of Wisdom: "Your top priorities at every stage are to (1) take meaningful time for yourself and (2) seek support the moment you feel out of your depth. I know it’s tempting to go without those things but trust me when I say it is never worth the lingering distress."

Brogan Thomas is a research and development engineer at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL), a branch of the physics department at Duke University. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Physics in 2013 from NCCU. She joined the staff at TUNL as an engineering intern while in her final year at NCCU, where she helped with physics research projects for students from the University of Virginia.  

Upon graduation, Brogan remained on at TUNL and was promoted to research and development (R&D) engineer. During her time at TUNL, she has helped with projects for several universities along with research organizations, including the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).  Her job as an R&D engineer includes supporting physics research by maintaining mechanical systems of the facility, working with faculty and students to develop experiments, and designing and producing apparatus from ideation to fabrication. Utilizing 3D computer-aided design (CAD) software, she designs the assembly, produces drawings for machine shop fabrication and procures parts for research setups, while adhering to time and budget constraints.  A resident of the Triangle, she is an active member of her church who enjoys playing musical instruments and spending time with her family.  

Her advice to students would be to study and apply yourself well, pursue your passion and have faith.

Maya Clinton is a part of the first cohort to graduate from the 3+2 Dual Degree Physics and Mechanical Engineering program between North Carolina Central University and North Carolina State University. From an early age, Maya wanted to be an engineer, as she wanted to design, build and invent. However, in high school, she fell in love with physics. The 3+2 program allowed her an opportunity to pursue both. A Durham native, NCCU is home to Maya in many ways.

While at NCCU, Maya was a part of the Dream Stem Program and participated in the Research Discovery and Innovation (RDI) internship program both as a student and later as a mentor. This experience helped fuel her desire to create and gave her an appreciation for helping others bring their ideas to life. In the summer of 2021, she had the opportunity to shadow Brogan Thomas, a research and development engineer at Triangle University Nuclear Laboratories, as part of the DREAMSTEM REU. Seeing Ms. Thomas's work designing and building the devices and mechanisms that facilitate further research and exploration, it was then Maya realized she wanted to continue a career as an engineer in a research and development capacity.

While at NC State, Maya continued to search for opportunities in research. She worked in an electrical engineering lab building a musical Tesla coil. Maya also continued to engage others in science and engineering as an engineering ambassador for the College of Engineering. There, she worked as a teaching assistant (TA), led info sessions for prospective students, especially transfer students, and assisted in Freshman Engineering Design Day. She also participated in an entrepreneurship senior design in which her team’s idea of an automatic tofu maker won $2,000 in NC State’s VenturePack pitch competition.

Currently, Maya is a research and development engineer at the Brain Stimulation and Engineering Lab at Duke University’s School of Medicine. She primarily works on building transcranial magnetic stimulation devices (TMS), which use magnetic coils to induce an electric field, stimulating neurons in the brain. It is used to treat conditions like treatment-resistant depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). She utilizes skills she learned in the classroom, internships, and assistant positions — like CAD, soldering, circuitry, 3D printing, etc. — every day

“My advice to new students is to hold on to the curiosity and inquisitiveness about the world around you that brought you to study STEM. When met with obstacles, do not let them define your love for the field. Ask questions, search for answers, seek help when needed, and advocate for yourself. But most importantly, have fun with it. There are a lot of amazing and cool phenomena to observe and things you get to build. Continue to seek opportunities that allow you to apply what you’re learning or create projects you can do at home. Engage your professors with your ideas. Make your learning process something you find fun.”
 

Pryor Gibson is a radiation effect test engineer at Analog Devices, Inc. in the Research Triangle Park, a device semiconductor manufacturing company. He graduated from North Carolina Central University (NCCU) with a bachelor's degree in physics and North Carolina State University with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering as part of the joint 3+2 partnership program where students earn both a physics degree from NCCU and an engineering degree from NC State. After graduation, Pryor stayed one extra year at NC State to earn a master’s in electrical engineering.

Pryor was a member of the first Cheatham-White scholarship group and partnered with the DREAMSTEM program at NCCU while serving as both a mentor with the University Honors Program and as a teaching assistant. Additionally, he was a member of National Society of Black Engineers and the Drone Team at NCCU.

During his time at NCCU, he interned with the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) initiative within the Department of Mathematics and Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, AST Technology Labs, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

When Pryor began at NC State, coronavirus required students to learn remotely, so Pryor began forming online groups of classmates to facilitate studying. When classes came back to begin in person, he was vice president of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Ambassadors at NC State. This connection helped generate more dialogue between NCCU and NC State to improve the 3+2 program.

Pryor now works at Analog Devices, Inc. in their Aerospace and Defense Group. He tests and characterizes various electronic components on their performance in radioactive environments predominately for space applications. His work is used to assist companies build systems that will make access to space more cost effective in the future using skills he developed from university, especially LabVIEW programming, particle physics, and electronic circuit knowledge. 

"So, two 'categories' of advice that I’ll say: technical and then 'personal.' Starting with technical, don’t avoid programming. Students should attend professor’s office hours even if it is to recap what happened in lecture that day. Students should read the textbook chapters the professor references in lecture (in advance if possible). Students can benefit from research or passion projects to help build relevant skills during the school year. As everyone says, work on time management.

As for 'personal' advice, if students allow it, the NCCU Department of Mathematics and Physics can be a community that will desire and actively assist their success. My best advice is to lean into that and allow that to help drive you in your pursuits for community to give you purpose, guidance, and accountability. With that, heed this final piece of advice, which serves as a warning: To have community at this level is unique. I became normalized the sense of community. Once you’re out of university, you are on your own to a larger degree. While having such a strong support network at NCCU, I encourage students to seek out internships or other experiences where they are treated more as a number rather than an individual, to learn how to thrive in any environment.

Take every experience and build upon it. Go be great!"