Tom Erekeson
Graduated from BYU with a degree in Physics Teaching and a minor in Math Education. He taught science at Pleasant Grove High School for three years until Lone Peak High School opened in 1997, where he became the first Science Department Chair. He earned his M.Ed degree from Utah State University in 2005, with an emphasis in Instructional Technology. Tom has presented at state and national science education conferences and received the Paul W. Zitzewitz Award and AAPT Fellows Award. He currently teaches Physics, AP Physics, and Astronomy. Click here to access LinkedIn
Dr Mario Perez
Recently retired as the Astrophysics Chief Technologist at NASA Headquarters, leading several technology programs including SBIR, in addition to being the Program Scientist for the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. He is Program Executive for Exoplanet Programs like Keck Observatory, NExScI, and NN-EXPLORE. He also oversees technology contracts to industry partners. Previously, he worked at LANL and NASA Goddard and held various NASA science contracts. He studied Electrical Engineering and Physics, and earned a Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy, and an MBA. His research interests include star formation, young stellar objects, stellar populations, ultraviolet spectroscopy, and space instrumentation. Click here to access LinkedIn.
Ben Pratt-Fergeson
Ben Pratt-Ferguson has been working with Modeling and Simulation of various systems and sensors since 1997 after graduating from BYU (‘92) and Vanderbilt (‘97). He worked at Raytheon for 22 years, and currently works for Northrop Grumman developing systems and mentoring system engineers. Click here to access LinkedIn.
Dr Nichole ("Nikki") Maughan
Graduated from BYU Physics with her undergraduate degree in 2011 and master’s degree in 2013. She completed a PhD in biomedical engineering at Washington University in St Louis in 2017 and finished therapeutic medical physics residency in 2019. She joined the faculty at Washington University School of Medicine’s Department of Radiation Oncology where she implemented new radiopharmaceutical therapies and launched an undergraduate research fellowship program in medical physics. Dr. Maughan currently works for Intermountain Health as a clinical medical physicist in radiation oncology and serves as the lead physicist for the theranostics program.Click here to access LinkedIn
David Krueger
David Krueger is a seasoned Senior Acoustic Engineer with over 14 years of experience designing, developing, and optimizing advanced audio systems for consumer electronics and wearable technologies. With a Master’s in Physics from Brigham Young University and a proven track record at Meta Reality Labs, Amazon Lab126, and Motorola Mobility, he excels in leading cross-functional teams, pioneering audio hardware integration, and implementing rigorous testing protocols. Known for his technical acumen, leadership, and commitment to quality, David consistently drives innovation and process improvements in fast-paced, global environments. Click here to access LinkedIn.
Dr Peter Roming
Director of the Civil and Commercial Space Division at Space Dynamics Laboratory. He was the former Director and Chief Scientist in the Space Systems Division at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Prior to working at SwRI, Dr. Roming was on the faculty at Penn State University for 12 years. Over his career, Dr. Roming has had a range of roles in a number of space related programs. More recent activities include: PI for the NASA Swift UVOT, Co-PI for the SCORPIO instrument being built for the Gemini South Observatory, Program Manager for Life Extension (LEXI) Spacecraft, the NASA Lucy MVIC lead, and the PM for the ISS EMIT PITB. He has a doctorate in physics and astronomy, with a second emphasis in mechanical engineering, from Brigham Young University (BYU). He also holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in physics from BYU. Click here to access LinkedIn.
Dr Kevan Weaver
Dr. Kevan Weaver rejoined the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in 2018, where he is the Chief Technical Officer for the Advanced Test Reactor and also contributed to various advanced nuclear reactor projects. Prior to 2018, he worked at TerraPower (2007-2018) and INL (1998-2007). He holds a BS in physics, with minors in math and Spanish, from Brigham Young University and a PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of Utah. Click here to access LinkedIn
Mike Dickerson
Founder and CEO of MD Acoustics, an acoustical engineering firm he launched in 2012. Driven by professional growth, Mike has grown his company to 25 employees, including 10 BYU graduates in Physics, Acoustics, and Mechanical Engineering. MD Acoustics provides noise and vibration studies for government, publicly traded companies, and private firms. The firm is unique for its suite of acoustical chambers (fully anechoic and reverb).
Mike also hosts the podcast "Sound Cave Labs," which highlights contributions in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. Click here to access LinkedIn.
Connor Duke
Director of the Noise & Vibration team at Apple Inc. He joined the team after multiple internships while completing his degree at BYU. His team guides designs and verifies performance of many Apple products used around the world. Optimization and finding the right trade-offs in design drive how the team works and pushes the boundaries of conventional approaches. He feels blessed to work with other BYU graduates and to see their work being used by everyday people. Click here to access LinkedIn.
Dr Matt Turner
Dr. Matt Turner is currently a member of the Systems team of Microsoft Quantum. He previously worked on Microsoft’s Cryogenic Computing program and as a data scientist for the Windows team. He has a BS in physics, with minors in linguistics and math, from BYU, where he worked in Justin Peatross’s high-intensity optics group. He also has a PhD in physics from the Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Washington, where he worked on precision tests of gravity and related apparatus. Click here to access LinkedIn.