Two St. Olaf Students Win Physics Scholarships

Sonja Ebey and Benji Zupfer are proving that you don't need a PhD to make meaningful scientific breakthroughs. These St. Olaf College juniors just won competitive Rossing Physics Scholarships for research that ranges from preventing material fractures to improving cancer therapy.

Ebey, a mathematics and physics double major, received $10,000 for her work simulating how atoms interact and materials break under stress. She spent three summers at Los Alamos National Laboratory running complex computer models that help scientists understand everything from building safer structures to creating stronger materials.

But her curiosity extends beyond computers. At St. Olaf, she studied whether turtle eyes respond to magnetic fields and worked on achieving super-low friction at microscopic scales. "I got into physics because I love math, but I stayed because it's fun," Ebey says.

Zupfer took a different path toward the same goal: using physics to help people. The religion and physics major won $5,000 for his research on radiation therapy, specifically studying proton beam treatments that could revolutionize how doctors fight cancer.

His work focuses on FLASH therapy, an emerging treatment that delivers radiation in ultra-fast bursts. This summer at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, he's researching online adaptive proton therapy, which creates safer treatment plans while patients are in the room by compensating for daily changes in their anatomy.

The technology could mean better tumor targeting and less damage to healthy tissue. "In medical physics, you live at the intersection of science, medicine, and patient care," Zupfer says.

Both students credit St. Olaf's commitment to undergraduate research for launching their careers early. Ebey conducted her first research project during January term of her freshman year. "Those research experiences are available to students at the very earliest stages," she notes.

The Ripple Effect

The scholarships come from the Thomas D. Rossing Fund, which recognizes outstanding physics students at colleges affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. But the real impact extends far beyond the awards themselves.

Ebey's materials research could lead to stronger, safer products in industries from aerospace to construction. Zupfer's cancer treatment work could directly improve survival rates and quality of life for patients undergoing radiation therapy.

Their success also demonstrates how smaller liberal arts colleges can compete with major research universities in producing scientific talent. By giving undergraduates hands-on research opportunities from day one, St. Olaf proves that meaningful scientific contributions don't require years of graduate study to begin.

Both students plan to pursue PhDs and continue their research. Ebey is torn between mathematics and physics but leans toward materials science. Zupfer has his sights set firmly on medical physics, hoping to work in hospitals creating treatment plans and improving patient outcomes.

Two young scientists are already changing the world, one atom and one treatment at a time.