After a Walkabout, a Transfer Student Finds Her Footing in Physics

Newswise — Brianna Romasky’s college journey veered off the beaten path on a quest of self-discovery and finding her passion, which happens to involve physics.

Romasky, who graduates from Rutgers University–New Brunswick this spring as a Paul Robeson Scholar with high honors in physics, began her higher education trek at Camden County College, where she first pursued her initial academic interest: language.

“I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to study,” the 27-year-old said. “I had a few ideas, but right out of high school, I think very few people know what they want to study.”

At first, she took up Italian.

“I thought that I was going to move to Italy and teach English to Italians,” said Romasky, adding that she began exploring other fields.

“I got really into history and art history and anthropology,” she said. “There were quite a few things that I found to be interesting but, nothing struck the chord of ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life.’” 

At the time, Romasky was working in the hospitality industry and wanted to try event planning, “because I'm really organized and I just thought it would play to my strengths.”

She also wanted to live in Australia.

“It wasn't completely random,” said Romasky, adding she met people from Australia through community college. “I always knew that I wanted to move to another country. So, I went to visit for a month and I loved it.”

Romasky moved to Australia two days after her 21st birthday and lived in the southern city of Adelaide for three years. She eventually got a job as an event planner. 

Once in that role, “I realized that I wouldn't be totally satisfied in it,” said Romasky. “I just really missed learning.”

She listened to podcasts and read about a hodgepodge of topics, including philosophy, psychology and science.  

“I found myself eventually gravitating toward astronomical phenomenon,” said Romasky, adding, “I guess pun intended,” before laughing.  

“It surprised me that I was being drawn to the sciences because my previous studies were in the humanities,” Romasky said. “I didn't have a strong background in mathematics. But it was so interesting to me. I got to a point where I realized that if I wanted to continue to learn about physics and astrophysics, I would have to go back to school for it.” 

After teaching herself precalculus via online courses, Romasky returned to Camden County College to study calculus and basic physics. 
 
“I was still living in Australia, but it was during the pandemic, so all of the classes were online,” she said. 

Romasky enrolled at Rutgers–New Brunswick in the fall of 2021. 

“Rutgers has a nationally recognized physics program and is known for helping undergraduates gain research experience,” she said. 

Sevil Salur, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and one of Romasky’s mentors at Rutgers–New Brunswick, took notice of the student’s inquisitive nature and tenacity.  

“She was always asking very good questions,” said Salur, who described Romasky as “not shy” when taking a junior-level, two-semester, mathematically advanced course on electromagnetism. 

“Because of this nontraditional background, she has the maturity you don't necessarily see in an undergraduate student,” said Salur, who wrote recommendation letters endorsing Romasky for graduate programs.

Jolie A. Cizewski, Distinguished Professor and the undergraduate program director for the Rutgers Department of Physics and Astronomy, advised Romasky on her honors thesis and called her a “remarkable early career scientist” who delved into some challenging coursework.

In 2022, Romasky attended a summer program at Stony Brook University in New York, where she worked with Navid Vafaei-Najafabadi, an assistant professor who leads the Plasma Accelerator Group at the Department of Physics and Astronomy. They worked on a project involving U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., where the professor is a facility scientist at the lab’s Accelerator Test Facility (ATF). The high-power laser and electron beams provided by ATF makes the facility an ideal place for developing the research skills of early career scientist, Vafaei-Najafabadi said.

At the testing facility, Romasky developed a method for measuring emittance, a characteristic of an electron beam. She also assisted in the design, setup and data collection of an experiment led by the Plasma Acceleration Group.

“I didn't have a prior interest in any particular field,” said Romasky, a rock climber who would organize weekly outings to climb with fellow program participants. “I just wanted to participate in research. And I fell in love with the hands-on experimental work at ATF when I was there.”

Upon reviewing her application, “I realized she has a fascinating story,” said Vafaei-Najafabadi, adding that Romasky’s “unconventional path in physics was definitely a component” of her acceptance into the program. He noted Romasky’s ability to pick up things quickly as well as not being afraid to work on problems she hadn't seen before. He also noted her leadership skills. 

“She was working on the emittance of the electron beam, and her work was really impressive,” said Vafaei-Najafabadi. “Brianna was perfectly capable of muscling her way into the front row of the experiment and just take charge of diagnostic operation and data recording.” 

As a transfer student, Romasky said she appreciated a transfer course at Rutgers. To pay it forward, Romasky taught a class as part of the university’s First-Year Interest Group Seminars (FIGS) program, creating and teaching “Exploring Careers in the Sciences.” 

“I was teaching my students about Rutgers and possible career paths in the sciences,” said Romasky, adding that she loved the experience and aspires to become a professor and mentor. “I was really, really passionate about this course – not only because of my love for the sciences, but because I am very excited about Rutgers and all the opportunities that are available to students.” 

Romasky, who has accepted an offer in the doctoral degree program of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University, added, “I think Rutgers does a really good job of offering opportunities for student exploration. They really encourage trying out different paths, taking a bunch of unique courses and finding what interests you.”