Halyna Hodovanets, MS 2008

Halyna graduated in 2008 from the Physics and Astronomy department with her Masters in Physics. She came to Minnesota State University following the recommendations of her friends and colleagues, knowing she wanted to do physics because she had "always been interested in how things work." While here, she really enjoyed her interactions with other graduate students, staff, and faculty members and says the "staff and faculty were especially helpful in helping me feel like home." Throughout her time at Minnesota State University she shared the TA office with many graduate students and our interactions are very cherished by me. In particular, she thanks "Dr. Igor (Kogoutiouk) for his immense help and advice with every aspect of life," and adding that "without him I would not be where I am today."

Speaking to the preparation for her career beyond Minnesota State University, "as a TA for the labs and I found them very well written and thought through. The courses taken at Minnesoat State University, Mankato prepared me very well for the qualifying exam at ISU." Specifically, she cites her advisor Dr. Youwen Xu's supervision in setting her on her path in condensed matter physics. She is "grateful, since through the research with her I realized that that is what I like to do. I am especially grateful to her for being very strict and believing in me."

After Halyna graduated, she then attended Iowa State and earned her PhD in physics. Now, Halyna is an assistant professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at Texas Tech University.