Who We Are

Barkotel Zemenu | Co-President he/his

Barkotel Zemenu is a senior in Grace Hopper College and an international student from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, majoring in Physics (Int.). Alongside his research chasing neutrinos at Yale, quantizing spacetime abroad in Germany and studying twinkling stars this past summer in Israel, he enjoys photographing crowded streets as if he were a photographer, vlogging as if he were a vlogger, video-editing as if he were a YouTuber, and language learning as if there was nothing else to do for a hobby.

Madison Butchko | President she/her

Maddie is a senior in Jontathan Edwards College, majoring in Physics and East Asian Studies.

Robin Tsai |Vice President they/them

Robin Tsai is a sophomore in Trumbull College majoring in Mathematics (Int.) and Physics (Int.). They are particularly passionate about the intersection of mathematics and physics; in particular, they hope to one day witness a mathematically rigorous realization of quantum field theory! For the time being, they have stayed in adjacent fields under Professor David Poland—conformal bootstrap, holography, and other topics in the realm of high-energy theory. Academics aside, Robin is highly interested in the world of outreach, having helped revive undergraduate oSTEM at Yale and participated in various outreach events to New Haven students within SPS. That said, you can find them toiling away at PSETs, doing art and playing music, or sitting paralyzed in front of their unread emails.

Ethan Martinez | Outreach Chair he/him

Ethan is a sophomore from Wheaton, IL in Pauli Murray College majoring in Physics (Int.) He is super passionate about particle physics and physics education. Under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Demers, he currently works on the Mu2e Experiment at Fermilab, developing a trigger selection system for anti-protons. Along with fellow SPS Board member Nikita, Ethan is also a Peer Tutor for PHYS 200. Outside of physics, you can find him playing soccer for the Men’s C1 Club Soccer team, playing cornhole, or eating Haven Hot Chicken.

Andrew Nupp | Treasurer he/him

Andrew is a Junior in Morse college majoring in Physics and Math. He is currently working with David Moore on the SIMPLE experiment. Andrew grew up on a hobby farm in Arkansas, and outside of school he enjoys playing piano (poorly), playing chess (again, poorly), and learning Japanese.

Lexi Murray | Website & Media Developer she/her

Lexi Murray is a senior in Branford College majoring in Physics (int). She enjoys all physics, but is especially interested in particle physics. Outside of this, she also enjoys creative writing and poetry.

Nikita Mazotov | National SPS/Sigma Pi Sigma Liaison he/his

Nikita is a sophomore in Pierson College and a Ukrainian international student. He works as a peer tutor for the PHYS 200 course. His research interests have focused on experimental particle physics and occasional use of machine learning in the context of CERN ATLAS ITk Phase-II upgrades. Nikita’s favorite computer game is Kerbal Space Program.

Aaron Chizhik | Prize Lecture Chair he/his

Aaron is a junior in Grace Hopper College majoring in music and physics (int). Originally from San Diego, Cali, Aaron has been studying piano since he was but a wee lad and continues to actively do so through music studies at Yale. Aaron currently is interested in fields of particle and nuclear physics, particularly (pun very much intended) regarding the great mystery of neutrinos. Aaron is presently working with the Heeger/Maruyama group, focusing on removing muon background from the neutrinoless double beta decay experiment, CUORE. Beloved activities orthonormal to school include watching martial arts movies, reading Russian poetry, listening to Prince, and eating strawberry cheesecake.

Maddi Brown | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Liaison she/her

Maddi is a sophomore in Pierson majoring in Physics (int) from Wirtz, Virginia. She is specifically interested in astronomy and astrophysics. She is also interested in fostering environments for those new to physics, math, or STEM in general! Outside of the physics community, Maddi enjoys exploring different beaches surrounding New Haven and day trips to NYC (exploring the city is a fun time considering she is most familiar with her rural hometown). When she’s not grabbing chai lattes in Steep or working on PSETS in Tsai, she’s most likely hanging out in the astro lounge some days!

Anh-Thai Le | Physics Community Coordinator he/him

Anh-Thai is a sophomore from Southern California planning to major in Math and Physics. On the physics side of things, he's interested in particle physics and the intersection between math and physics, particularly in probability theory and statistical mechanics. Aside from SPS, Anh-Thai hopes to foster a love for STEM through his involvement in Yale's Science Olympiad and MathCounts Outreach. In his free time, he enjoys binge watching YouTube videos and (trying) not to play Supercell games.

Matthew Balestier | Physics Community Coordinator they/them

Matthew Balestier is a sophomore in Jonathan Edwards College majoring in Math and Physics from New Jersey. They also hold a position on the board of Broad Recognition magazine. Aside from school, they hold a strong interest in art history. Their favorite contemporary artists are Mark Maggiori and anything weird and modern.