Rachel’s Website

APS March Meeting 2024

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 13:00:00 GMT

APS March Meeting 2024

This year was my first time attending any physics conference, so I was really diving in head-first with this 14,000 person event.

The event was hosted in Minneapolis and I was very excited to explore a city and state that I had never visited before. On the day I arrived, I had time to wander around the University of Minnesota and explore their art museum. I also spent several hours walking through the beautiful park along the Mississippi river. Overall, I was impressed with the natural areas, walkability, and transit around Downtown Minneapolis.

The conference itself was overwhelming but exciting. I learned a lot about quantum computing and it was a unique experience to be surrounded by so many physicists for the entire week. It was nice to finally meet all of my coworkers in person as well. I also ate lots of great food and enjoyed my first taste of the corporate travel experience.

My trip was fully sponsored by my employer, Lockheed Martin.

APS Global Physics Summit 2025

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 13:00:00 GMT

APS Global Physics Summit 2025

I won’t bog down my website with work stuff, but I genuinely enjoy attending the APS conference every year. This was my second year attending and the first time that APS combined the March and April meetings.

When I first arrived in LA for the Anaheim conference, I was immediately greeted by the unique diversity of California plants that I love, as well as the frustrating car-centric sprawl of Southern California. As expected, the conference is also in an extremely touristy area (just across the street from Disneyland).

At the conference, I once again learned a lot about quantum physics and APS. Some of the highlights included: a quantum algorithms tutorial, a fun exhibit hall with classic arcade games and puppies, a physics sing-along evening reception, a highly contentious talk by Microsoft about their recent claims of a Majorana qubit, an event about science advocacy, and a town hall event about how APS is pushing back against government cuts to science funding and anti-DEI practices.

Just like last year, I also enjoyed lots of good food and the opportunity to see my collegues in person. (Yes, this was also fully sponsored by Lockheed Martin).

Appalachian Trail

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:00:00 GMT

Appalachian Trail

James and I hiked the Appalachian trail SOBO (Southbound) from Khatadin, ME to Rockfish Gap, VA. We were planning to go all the way to Georgia, but unfortunately, we had to stop due to Hurricane Helene.

We created a photo blog for the adventure at picturesofaforest.com

Baobab Species Portfolio

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Baobab Species Portfolio

I took a class in Stellenbosch about the Biome Ecology of South Africa. For the class I created a species portfolio about Adansonia digitata aka the African baobab.

It was fun to learn about these unique trees and create some drawings!

2026 Bingo

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 13:00:00 GMT

2026 Bingo

Replace a piece of furniture	See a quantum computer in person	Ride Amtrak, Flix, or Greyhound	Go to (not through) New Jersey	Dig a cathole
3D print something	Try a new sport	Play and finish a new video game	Get sick	Have a conversation with a politician
Bike 50+ miles in a day	Accidentally kill a houseplant	Central Park (free)	Jury duty	Build/make something useless
Break and repair my phone again	Make friends with someone's pet	Cook a fruit/veg I haven't used before	Acquire merch that is actually useful	Learn a new woodworking tool
Attend a Jane Street event as James' +1	Use a sewing machine	Randomly see a friend on street/subway	Find a mac-n-cheese recipe in an unexpected way	Go to gym 60+ times

I may not update this bingo card for privacy and/or laziness reasons.

Biomial Expansion

Fri, 01 May 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Biomial Expansion

Developed a website to educate users on biomes through interactive games. Used HTML, Javascript, CSS, and Google Maps API to place users on the street at the center of a random biome allowing the user to explore and learn about the biome before making a guess about where they are. Submitted to EarthXHack 2020.

The project can be found on GitHub.

Campfire

Sat, 01 May 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Campfire

Campfire is a web app that brings people together and eliminates food waste through a system of food cameras that allow users to easily share leftover food.

Won 3rd Place at the Hesburgh Library Hackathon at Notre Dame with Gus Hauge and Jonathan Pal.

The project is on GitHub.

Drip Drop

Fri, 01 May 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Drip Drop

I built a website using HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap to educate users on water conservation through projects and quizzes. We also prototyped an irrigation system using an Arduino to optimize for humidity and mitigate water loss. My team won 2nd Place at the Wacode Hackathon at Baylor University.

The project can be found on GitHub.

Irish Dancesport Gala 2024

Wed, 01 May 2024 13:00:00 GMT

Irish Dancesport Gala 2024

The Notre Dame/Saint Mary’s Ballroom Dance Club hosts an annual ballroom dance competition called the Irish Dancesport Gala. This year, as an officer I had the task of not only competing in my last ballroom dance competition but also helping to run the competition.

The competition went really smoothly and although I didn’t earn any ribbons, I did get a lot of callbacks and the team overall did really well!

Calculating e Using Monte Carlo Methods and Quantum Amplitude Estimation

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Calculating e Using Monte Carlo Methods and Quantum Amplitude Estimation

For iQuHack 2021, I teamed up with a couple high school friends to learn about quantum computing. Our project is on GitHub.

Abstract

Quantum amplitude estimation techniques may be used to compute the expected value of a quantum Monte Carlo algorithm more accurately than the naive, classical method. In this project, we implement a quantum Monte Carlo algorithm for e=2.71828… and apply quantum amplitude estimation. Submitted to iQuHACK Hackathon at MIT.

M3 2019

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 13:00:00 GMT

M3 2019

My team built mathematical models to answer questions regarding substance use and abuse. Used regression techniques to model the spread of e-cigarette use over time. Wrote paper with results.

Our team won Honorable Mention in this national competition!

M3 2020

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 13:00:00 GMT

M3 2020

My team modeled problems related to the infrastructure and adoption of electric semi-trucks. Wrote paper detailing ideas.

Mentor One

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 13:00:00 GMT

Mentor One

MentorOne is a mobile app and website that connects high school students with job shadowing opportunities in different industries. The app was built with Flutter and the website was built with HTML. The backend database was built with Firebase. Submitted to HackDFW 2019.

The project can be found on DevPost.

Hiking Mt. Whitney

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 13:00:00 GMT

Hiking Mt. Whitney

During the summer of 2022, I met a hiking partner who’s just as crazy as me and he had a permit to hike Mt. Whitney in a single day.

Liam and I trained for Whitney with lots of amazing hikes all across California including Lassen Peak, Desolation Wilderness, and the infamous cone peak.

On the day of our hike, we woke up at 1 am, started hiking around 2 am, and didn’t make it back down until about 7 pm. It was the longest day hike I’d done (roughly 26 miles) and it was Liam’s first fourteener.

Thankfully, everything went well and we successfully made the summit!

Neutron Activation Analysis in Germany

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 13:00:00 GMT

Neutron Activation Analysis in Germany

For fall break 2022, I had the opportunity to travel to Frankfurt am Main, Germany to learn about nuclear physics with a handful of other Notre Dame physics students.

This was my first time outside of the country and I had a blast exploring Frankfurt.

My group used neutron activation analysis techniques to analyze the chemical composition of an American quarter, Zirconium earrings, and a ring of unknown material that we determined was largely nickel. We also toured the GSI nuclear facility.

Emmy Noether

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Amalie Emmy Noether and Noether’s Theorem

Submitted as final project for Math 20180.

Abstract

This paper presents an introduction to the life of Amalie Emmy Noether (1882-1935) and Noether’s Theorem. The early life and education of Noether is examined as well as Noether’s gradual acceptance into the mathematics community as an outstanding woman in her field. Finally, Noether’s Theorem on the relationship between symmetries and conservation laws is discussed.

Ozark Highlands Trail

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:00:00 GMT

Ozark Highlands Trail

Over winter break, James and I hiked about 94 miles of the Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT) in Northern Arkansas.

It was cold and a few days were snowy but we learned a lot about backpacking. We got pretty good at using the PCT method to hang our heavy bear bag. We forded a very cold river too.

We also saw a lot of beautiful scenery!

Old Website

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Old Website

I made my first personal website in December 2020. It is no longer active, but the code is on GitHub.

Peak Bagging

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Peak Bagging

Peak bagging for me is a fun number to track as I enjoy the outdoors and the different places I visit. I’m not serious about trying to knock off every single peak in a certain list but I may change my mind and make that a goal eventually. For now, here’s a list of the mountains I’ve successfully hiked that are on common peak bagging lists.

Colorado 14ers

Mount Bierstadt (03 July, 2021)
Mount Princeton (July, 2021)
Mount Elbert (10 July, 2021)
Mount Yale (August, 2021)
Mount Democrat (13 August, 2025)
Mount Cameron (13 August, 2025)
Mount Lincoln (13 August, 2025)
Mount Bross (13 August, 2025)

California 14ers

Mount Whitney (09 July, 2022)

New England 4000 footers

Mount Katahdin, Baxter Peak (07, June 2024)
Bigelow, Avery Peak (24, June, 2024)
Bigelow, West Peak(24, June 2024)
Croker Mountain (28 June, 2024)
Saddleback Horn (04, July 2024)
Saddleback (04, July 2024)
Mount Moriah (10 July, 2024)
Middle Carter (11 July, 2024)
South Carter (11 July, 2024)
Carter Dome (11 July, 2024)
Wildcat (12 July, 2024)
Wildcat, D Peak (12 July, 2024)
Mount Washington (15 July, 2024)
Mount Pierce (16 July, 2024)
Mount Jackson (16 July, 2024)
South Twin (18 July, 2024)
Garfield (19 July, 2024)
Mount Lafayette (20 July, 2024)
Mount Lincoln (20 July, 2024)
North Kinsman (21 July, 2024)
South Kinsman (21 July, 2024)
Mount Moosilauke (23 July, 2024)

Peak bagging as a goal in and of itself is a somewhat controversial way of enjoying the outdoors. It does seem somewhat arbitrary that a mountain that is 14,004 feet above sea level should get nearly 10 times the traffic of a mountain that is 13,997 feet above sea level. There are also enviromental concerns with high traffic and irresponsible trips to delicate ecosystems. When I hike, I pay any required fees, especially if I’m driving a car to the trailhead and I follow Leave No Trace Principles. This alone is often not enough so I advocate for and support local trail clubs, state parks, national forest and bureau of land management funding, etc when I can. I also have no interest in ever attempting to hike Mt. Everest or similar mountains and contributing to the massive trash and tourism problem there.

Calculating Plancks Constant using LEDs

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Calculating Planck’s Constant using LEDs

Submitted as final project for Mechanics.

Abstract

This paper presents a method of measuring Planck’s constant using light emitting diodes (LEDs). An LED was connected to a variable power source and the voltage was gradually increased until the LED emitted light. From this threshold voltage, the voltage was steadily increased and both current and voltage were measured. Repeating this process with 5 different wavelengths of light yielded a value for Planck’s constant of 8.12 x 10-34 m2 kg s-1. The percent error was calculated to be .225 when compared to the known value of h, 6.626 x 10-34 m2 kg s-1. This error can be attributed to internal heating of the wires and the model of LEDs as resistors that follow Ohm’s Law.

QFT

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Evaluating the Accuracy of Quantum Computers through a Quantum Fourier Transform Algorithm

For my freshman lab class final project, Dorothy Gan, McKenna Leichty, and I I chose to work with quantum computers.

Abstract

This paper presents a method of evaluating the accuracy of current superconducting quantum computers. A Quantum Fourier Transform algorithm was developed and run on multiple quantum computers as well as a simulation. The circuit was run on each machine 2048 times and the results were compared. The quantum computers resulted in an average of 75.20% measured in the |101⟩ state, indicating a 24.80% error when compared to the simulation which had measured 100% in the |101⟩ state as expected. Future experimentation could examine the accuracy on a wider array of quantum algorithms or compare different types of quantum computers such as trapped ions or quantum dots.

Radio

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Elenco Radio Kit

For my Intro to Circuitry and Electronics class, I built an AM/FM radio reciever. I learned to solder and I learned how the radio works. I also wrote a paper explaining the entire AM circuit from antenna to speaker.

Richard III

Wed, 01 May 2024 13:00:00 GMT

Richard III

I worked with the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company (NSR) at Notre Dame to choreograph a mambo for the characters of Rivers (played by Andrew Arcidiacono) and Grey (played by Anna Falk) to perform in their April 2024 production of Richard III. Shoutout to my co-choreographer, Cece Swartz!

Image credit: Sofia Crimivaroli and The Observer.

It’s always a blast to work with NSR and I was very impressed with how quickly the actors learned the Mambo and how polished the show as a whole was.

A recording of the show can be found on Youtube.

Rodeo and Juliet

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 13:00:00 GMT

Rodeo and Juliet

I worked with the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company (NSR) at Notre Dame to choreograph a country swing dance for Romeo and Juliet as well as a square dance/line dance for a larger group of characters to perform in their December 2023 production of Rodeo and Juliet. Shoutout to my co-choreographer, Megan Sherry!

This was a hilarious abridged version of Romeo and Juliet set in the wild west of “fair Texas where we lay our scene.” The actors were quick to learn the choreography and they put on an excellent show!

A full recording of the show can be found on YouTube.

Senior Thesis

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 13:00:00 GMT

Senior thesis: Using Frame Randomization to Mitigate Errors in Quantum Optimization

As a senior in the Glynn Family Honors Program at Notre Dame, I was required to write a senior thesis. I worked with Dr. Anthony Hoffman at Notre Dame, Dr. Steve Adachi at Lockheed Martin, and Dr. Joshua Job at Lockheed Martin.

My abstract is below. Feel free to reach out if you’re interested in seeing the full paper!

Update: I edited my thesis to turn it into more of a typical research paper format and uploaded it to arXiv here!

Abstract

Error mitigation is essential for near-term quantum devices, and one promising technique is frame randomization. This method inserts random twirling gates into a circuit to reduce errors while preserving unitarity and depth. We apply frame randomization to the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) with p=1 on a superconducting quantum circuit system, demonstrating its potential to improve energy calculations. Specifically, we investigate the use of QAOA to calculate the lowest energy state of a frustrated Ising ring system and compare the results of randomized circuits generated using two different randomized techniques. Our results show that both methods can mitigate errors, with expected extremal energy values of 5.25±0.145 and 4.08±0.36, for Randomized Compilation and Pauli frame randomization respectively, compared to 2.63±0.068 without randomization and 5.676±0.006 with a noiseless simulator.

Soil Monitor

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Soil Monitor

This system monitors the moisture of the soil of my plant and reminds me when to water. It prints the moisture to an LCD display and lights a red LED when it is time to water. The sensitivity can be easily adjusted to accomodate for different types of plants in order to avoid overwatering.

The project can be found on GitHub.

Stellenbosch

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Study Abroad in Stellenbosch

I studied abroad in Stellenbosch, South Africa during Feb-June 2023. I learned so much about the culture, geography, history, and ecology of South Africa and had lots of incredible experiences!

I bungee jumped from the highest commercial bungee jump in the world.

I hiked some cool mountains and waterfalls.

I also danced sokkie with the Afrikaaners and learned to be patient with lots of load shedding!

Syc4m0r3

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Syc4m0r3

I made an Instagram account for my photography. I still post photos periodically.

View this profile on Instagram

Rachel (@syc4m0r3) • Instagram photos and videos

Wood Turning

Tue, 13 May 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Live Edge Table

When we moved to our new apartment, I wanted to get a live edge table but most of the ones I could find were (understandably) quite expensive. One day, we went to a thrift store called The Big Reuse at the recommendation of Climate Town to look for furniture and kitchen items. We discovered that not only did they have a section of the store dedicated to live edge wood slabs, but they had cuts of beautiful spalted sycamore wood that were the perfect size for our apartment!

We picked out the perfect piece and carried it home on the subway. Now I just needed to turn this slab of wood into a table.

I bought some hairpin table legs online and an electric sander and drill off facebook marketplace. I pre-drilled holes to screw the legs onto the base, then sanded, and sanded, and sanded the top of the table until it was perfectly smooth.

I cleaned all the sawdust out of our apartment bathroom and finally, it was time to apply the finish (luckily I still had plenty of finish left over from my lathe projects). I’m pretty happy with the final result:

Note: I originally planned to sand/peel off the outer bark but James liked the look of it, so I decided to leave it on.

Trees Count 2025

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Trees Count 2025

Every ten years, NYC Parks does a survey of all the trees under their management in the entire city. Because I moved here in 2025, I arrived at the perfect time to get involved. I attended a training event in Bryant Park where I learned how to identify tree species and input the relevant tree health data into ArcGIS and then I got to survey trees on my own in any of the parks in the city. Here’s a map of all the parks I’ve surveyed trees in so far:

For each tree, I measured its circumference, identified the species, and input a few health observations such as insect damage or excessive litter. I got to survey a wide variety of trees from new plantings in Hunter’s Point to huge osage orange trees in Marcus Garvey Memorial Park. I also explored a lot of different parks that I hadn’t seen before.

In total, I’ve surveyed 373 trees so far. My top three species were london plane, japanese zelkova, and thornless honeylocust, which lines up with some of the overall top species planted in the parks. It was sad to see that every plane tree I surveyed was struggling with the heat but at least there were other species that fared better.

If you’d like to learn more or get involved, the NYC Parks page is here.

Wood Turning

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Wood Turning

While I was hiking the AT, being constantly surrounded by trees, I decided I might want to try woodworking when I came home. (I was also inspired by Justinthetrees)

My sister Sarah was also intrested and I was a little intimidated to sign up for a class by myself, so we took a class together as a Christmas gift. In the class, we each made a face grain bowl out of cherry and an end grain bowl out of mahogony.

After that, I joined a local makerspace and made some other things. It took some time to find someone who could show me the basics of how to use the lathes at the makerspace and where all the good tools were amongst the clutter, but I eventually started making some more unique pieces there. I also learned how to use chucks on the lathe and how to use a bandsaw to cut my blanks from fogwood (found on ground wood) or scrap wood.

Here I’m turning a piece at the makerspace.

Above is a partially finished dish made from pecan fogwood. I think the rot in the center looks cool and I also decided to keep the live edge.

James came up with the silly idea of making a bagel plate that has a hole in the middle. I liked the idea and it seemed like a good way to celebrate our upcoming move to NYC, so I made it! The benefit of making plates over bowls is that I can use scrap wood left by other people in the makerspace without buying anything.

This is all the pieces I’ve made at the time of writing this post. In the back from left to right is the mahogony, pecan, and cherry and in front is the bagel plate.

Update: I’ve also made these two bowls, both from scraps at the makerspace.

ZetroCard

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:00:00 GMT

ZetroCard

Like many New Yorkers, I went canvassing for one of our mayoral candidates for the 2025 mayoral primary. I’d never been canvassing before, but the Zohran team taught me everything I needed to know and also gave me some well designed merch including a ZetroCard to encourage me to come back and canvass several times. Over the weeks leading up to the election, I managed to complete my ZetroCard by canvassing in a wide variety of neighborhoods. It was honestly a great way to explore different neighborhoods of the city. Here are the neighborhoods where I canvassed:

Upper West Side
Park Slope
East Village
Rockaway Beach (I joined a group to bike out to the beach and then canvass. We also had a small beach party afterwards.)

Hell’s Kitchen
East New York (I also joined a group bike ride to this neighborhood to canvass.)
Inwood (After canvassing, James and I visited The Met Cloisters.)
Hudson Yards (The doorman buildings were impenetrable.)
Bonus: Queens Pride with Rider’s Allinace

Luckily, the canvassing effort paid off as Zohran won the Democratic Primary!