Sydney Fultz-Waters | Student Spotlight
Sydney Fultz-Waters
PhD Candidate
Materials Science and Engineering
"I’ve found some of my best friends and closest collaborators through the MATSCI community, especially in the Stanford Materials Research Society (MRS)."
At Stanford, my research focuses on developing nanoscale magnetic materials that utilize electron spin for data storage and telecommunications. By using the magnetic properties of these materials that stem from the fundamental electron spins, we can unlock new ways of energy efficient computation and data storage and enhance how we send information wirelessly. My PhD work focuses primarily on the growth and characterization of these materials, which has allowed me to really connect fundamental materials science concepts together.
I’ve found some of my best friends and closest collaborators through the MATSCI community, especially in the Stanford Materials Research Society (MRS). This year I am serving as one of the presidents for MRS and I am particularly looking forward to welcoming newly admitted students during visit weekend. I greatly enjoy my work with my co-president Aldo Chávez and the rest of the MRS exec team on all the behind-the-scenes efforts for department events, including trivia nights, resume workshops, happy hours, and quals preparation. It has been very rewarding to volunteer in MRS through the past few years and I look forward to a few more.
Outside of the department, I am also a member of the Societal and Ethical Implications (SEI) working group in the Lab Member Collective (LMC) through nano@Stanford. The SEI group focuses on opening dialogues about the implications of science beyond the lab on topics like sustainability in research, the reproducibility crisis, and science communication for policy. I believe that scientific research does not exist in a vacuum and as scientists and engineers we must be aware of (if not engaged in) the broader impacts of our research on the world around us. The SEI group has really allowed me to broaden my perspectives on these topics and has enriched my experiences here at Stanford within my research and outside of it.
