Joan Hoffman '98
Graduate student
Department of Physics
University of California, Berkeley

"I'm finishing up a PhD in physics from UC Berkeley (though I'm working at Cornell now, as my advisor moved in January '03). My research is with superfluid helium-4….

"I loved being a math major at Swarthmore, and I really enjoy that I still see some of the other majors from my year (like the Vermont gathering mentioned above). My preparation in math has been very helpful in my study of physics, but even more, I think that the kinds of interactions I had with the professors and other students at Swarthmore, and particularly in the math department, prepared me really well for my 'scientific interactions.'

"Of course, my foray into surface building for the Math Forum [See So You Want to Build a Surface. Joan's House of Models] provides many a fond memory when I look back on college....

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