Meet the 2024 SPS Outstanding Chapter Advisor: Tatiana Allen

What has your physics journey looked like?

I grew up and studied physics in what was then the Soviet Union. My 10th grade physics teacher was Lev Borisovich Osinovsky. His class was a lot of work but so much fun! I not only learned a lot about physics but also study skills, lab skills, research skills, life skills—everything I use every day. I am extremely grateful to him.

I studied the physics of semiconductors at the College of Radio Physics at St. Petersburg State Technical University (SPbSTU), then continued to a PhD program at the A. F. Ioffe Physical Technical Institute. I became an assistant professor of physics at the SPbSTU, and in 1993 I moved to UTC. I have been teaching physics for almost 40 years!

What are some challenges you faced as an SPS advisor? How did you overcome them?

I became the UTC chapter advisor in 2021. It was the middle of COVID and we were teaching online. It was difficult to engage students, and there were no SPS activities for at least a year. The chapter was essentially dead.

We had previously toured NIST in Maryland and viewed the Kibble Balance, a multi-million-dollar machine that helped redefine the SI unit of kilogram based on the Planck constant. NIST scientists had also developed a LEGO model of the Kibble Balance. I thought putting together such a model could be a great project for bringing students together, and this idea was met with tremendous enthusiasm. In 2022 we received an SPS Chapter Research Award to construct our own LEGO model. The project allowed us to revitalize the chapter and become a community.

What are some of your achievements as an SPS advisor? What are you most proud of?

When we went back to in-person classes after COVID, our student lounge was nearly empty most of the time. Now it is so full that we might consider finding a bigger room. We have physics, math, geology, and other majors working together, finding common interests, and forming friendships and community. I believe this fellowship will be with them throughout their lives.

I frequently invite alumni to talk to current students. And my students know that they will be invited back to the department after they graduate. This continuity really makes me happy.

I am most proud of the achievements of my students. When working on projects, they give their all, going above and beyond what was initially planned and expected. For example, Landon Boone was actively involved in the LEGO Kibble Balance project starting in his freshman year. He applied to the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program at NIST after his junior year was selected to work on the “real” Kibble Balance, and was offered a job there after graduation. A true “SPS opens doors” story.

What is your next group project?

Our most recent project is the LEGOLAS—a LEGO-based Low-cost Autonomous Scientist developed at the University of Maryland College Park to introduce physics students to machine learning. Our students received an SPS Chapter Research Award to construct one and have gone even further by modifying the design and rewriting the manual.

I strongly believe that working side by side on projects like these is the best way for people to find friends and develop community while gaining practical knowledge and skills.

Do you have any “outstanding” advice for students and advisors?

For students: Get involved. Don’t be shy. You have talents to contribute and will be appreciated. SPS offers tremendous opportunities to build your understanding of science, to build your resume, to make memories, and to find lifelong friends.

For advisors: Find good projects that will unite the group. Let the students run them, own them, be leaders, be responsible, and be creative. Be “on call” if help is needed, but foster independence, problem solving, and building community. Students have so much to offer! Let them shine!