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Neubauer, Richards, and Cousins advocate for physics research

2/6/2026 Illinois Physics

The three delegates represented Illinois Physics during the American Physical Society–sponsored Congressional Visit Day in Washington on Wednesday, February 3, 2026.

Written by Illinois Physics

Illinois Physics Professor Mark Neubauer and Illinois Physics graduate students Chloe Richards and Bryce Cousins represented the department in Washington, D.C., during the American Physical Society–sponsored Congressional Visit Day on Wednesday, February 3, 2026. The three met with Senator Dick Durbin, Congressmen Danny K. Davis and Eric Sorensen, and Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, advocating for vital scientific funding.

The three delegates stayed for the remainder of the week to attend APS's Annual Leadership Meeting, based on their APS roles: Neubauer serves on the Executive Committee, Richards serves as the student representative for the Division of Gravitational Physics Executive Committee, and Cousins serves as the student ambassador for Illinois Physics.

Images courtesy of Mark Neubauer, Illinois Physics

Madeline Stover is a physics doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying atmospheric dynamics applied to forest conservation. She interns as a science writer for Illinois Physics, where she also co-hosts the podcast Emergence along with fellow physics graduate student Mari Cieszynski. When Stover is not doing research or communications, she enjoys hosting her local radio show, singing with her band, and cooking with friends.

Daniel Inafuku graduated from Illinois Physics with a PhD and now works as a science writer. At Illinois, he conducted scientific research in mathematical biology and mathematical physics. In addition to his research interests, Daniel is a science video media creator.

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Jamie Hendrickson is a writer and content creator in higher education communications. They earned their M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2021. In addition to their communications work, they are a published area studies scholar and Russian-to-English translator.

Garrett R. Williams is an Illinois Physics Ph.D. Candidate and science writer. He has been recognized as the winner of the 2020 APS History of Physics Essay Competition and as a finalist in the 2021 AAAS Science and Human Rights Essay Competition. He was also an invited author in the 2021 #BlackinPhysics Week series published by Physics Today and Physics World. 

 

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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This story was published February 6, 2026.