Headshot image of Adan Dionne ’22Adam Dionne ’22 is continuing his research in biological physics—slime molds, specifically—at Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) with support from the American Physical Society’s 2022 LeRoy Apker Award.

The award, which includes $5,000 for Dionne and $5,000 for Williams’ physics department to support undergraduate research, “recognizes outstanding achievements in physics by undergraduate students and provides encouragement to students who have demonstrated great potential for future scientific accomplishment,” according to the society. 

Dionne’s senior thesis at Williams drew on several scientific and mathematical disciplines to examine the behavior of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum—how it self-organizes a decentralized method of transporting nutrients through a series of tubes that each pump independently. At SEAS, he’s building on his research of the organism while pursuing a Ph.D. in applied physics.

Only two students in the U.S.—one studying at a baccalaureate institution and the other at an institution that awards a Ph.D.—are selected to receive the Apker award. A Williams student first received one in 1999, and Dionne is the college’s sixth.

Read more about Adam Dionne’s research at SEAS.