Colton O'Connor
Hometown
Chantilly, VA and I went to TJHSST
Why W&M?
Call me a sucker or think me a liar, but William and Mary won me with its charm. I feel safe here. Students can swipe themselves into any of the dorms until midnight and many academic buildings keep their doors open. No two points on campus are more than a 15-minute walk apart, so I often take the time to walk past the Crim Dell or through the Wildflower Refuge.
At application time, the College's claim to focus on undergraduate research didn't mean much to me amidst similar boasts from other institutions, but now I understand. I was able to engage in experimental physics research directly under a full professor before I even declared my major. Rarely have my friends at other universities across the nation had such luck.
Major
Physics, Linguistics
Extracurriculars at W&M
The Wham Bam Big Band, William and Mary Trombone Quartet, Catholic Campus Ministry, Massage Club
Research at W&M
I have been engaged in physics research year-round since the beginning of my sophomore year. This has led to my current Honors Thesis work in analyzing and improving simulations used for MINERvA, a high-energy study of neutrinos being carried out at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) near Chicago.
I have spent my three summers between academic years carrying out further physics research through the National Science Foundation at W&M, the University of Pittsburgh, and FNAL.
Last summer, for my Murray Project, I used the program's funding to support a 3-week trip to Louisiana to carry out linguistic field work. While there, I participated in a workshop run by and for members of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana aimed at promoting their language and culture and producing educational materials for children to secure the future of their language, which is in danger of disappearing. Read more.
Future goals
My plan is to pursue a PhD in physics, probably in the field of high-energy experimental particle physics.
