Magnifying Voices in Physics (MVP) is a speaker series hosted by UNITY in response to the longstanding underrepresentation of women and non-binary folks of color in physics. We hope to provide a platform to support and highlight these folks and shift people’s perspective of what a physicist looks like. Our goal is to foster a more inclusive environment and motivate aspiring physicists.
Upcoming Speakers
Meet our next MVP, Saniya Heeba, on November 10th from 3-4:30 PM PST over zoom. Register for the talk here.
Saniya Heeba is a McGill Space Institute Fellow working at the intersection of particle physics and cosmology in the context of modeling and probing Dark Matter. Before starting her postdoc, she was based at RWTH Aachen in Germany where she defended her PhD dissertation on the phenomenology of Dark Matter portal interactions (titled “Doors to Darkness”) in September 2021. Her interests lie in figuring out how to use theory and experiment in tandem to navigate and transform the expansive terrain of Dark Matter physics. When she is not pondering the mysteries of the universe (and sometimes even when she is), she likes to tell stories, fictional and otherwise, and create art of dubious quality. You can find a little bit of everything on her Twitter, @saniaheba
Previous Speakers
Romy Rodríguez (she/her/hers) is a Cuban-born, Puerto Rican/American astronomer. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Physics at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus, and she earned a Master’s degree in Physics at the same university. Currently, she is a 4th year graduate student pursuing a PhD at The Ohio State University working with Professor Scott Gaudi. Her research broadly involves the detection and characterization of extrasolar planets (exoplanets). Specifically, she is currently combining precise observations of exoplanets and their host stars from space-based telescopes, and using available modeling tools to constrain the structure and dynamics of planets between roughly 1.5 and 4 times the size of Earth. In her spare time, Romy loves to play chess, play the piano, watch TV and hang out with friends. She also loves art, and has been drawing and painting for over 10 years.
Isabel J. Rodriguez (they/elle or she/ella) is a Master’s student in physics at Oregon State University, whose research combines astrophysical data with statistical tools to study the properties of binary neutron star merger outflows. Isabel is the founder and host of a virtual coworking space for women and non-binary people of color in STEM, and is dedicated to challenging systems of oppression in STEM higher education through a Black queer feminist lens. You can find them on Twitter as @astrophisacist.
To view the recording from Isabel’s talk, please see below:
