This fall, there’s a new resource to support physics students here at BYU: the External Advisory Council, or EAC. As a group of BYU alumni, the EAC member represent a variety of career paths, including acoustics, astronomy, aerospace, nuclear and medical physics, quantum computing, and teaching. Despite their diversity, this group has one important thing in common: their desire to help BYU students as we prepare to enter the job market. They have volunteered to lead alumni efforts to help BYU students develop marketable skills and they represent a great networking & mentoring resource. The EAC brings a unique perspective as industry professionals who know what it looks like to take physics and astronomy degrees into the workforce.
The mission of the External Advisory Council is threefold:
- Support the mission of the department by identifying resources and opportunities for student research, possible internships, and other enrichments that would enhance student experience within the department.
- Facilitate connections among students, faculty, and industry, and enable a more connected network of alumni.
- Provide findings to the department leadership regarding current industry trends and practices to encourage a curriculum that remains relevant.
The EAC met for the first time in March 2025 and look forward to working with our amazing alumni to bless our incredible students!
I have personally seen how powerful a resource the EAC can be in my own life. After graduating, I want to pursue a career in medical physics—a field that is sometimes hard to find resources for at BYU. This past summer, however, I was able to shadow Nikki Maughan, a medical physicist on the EAC. It was an incredible experience for me to be able to see in person what medical physics looks like, and Nikki has become an amazing mentor to me. Her knowledge of the industry and graduate programs has really helped guide me as I’ve prepared to apply to graduate school, and she has helped me learn so much about the possibilities in medial physics. Through it all, I could feel that she really cares about me and that she wants me to succeed. This concern for students is characteristic of the members of EAC, and I look forward to seeing what happens as the help student connect with our alumni!
by Eben Lonsdale, Student Advisory Council
