AI, Innovation and Faculty Mentorship Help Power this Montclair Goldwater Scholar’s Scientific Ambitions

Joseph David Quinn-Vitabile came to Montclair State University expecting to study computer science. Now a junior, he’s expanded his academic ambitions to include astrophysics, where he’s helping push the boundaries of how we understand the universe – work that recently earned him a prestigious 火狐体育 Goldwater Scholarship.

Initially drawn to Montclair for its affordability and proximity to his home in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Quinn-Vitabile enrolled as a Computer Science major. Like many Computer Science majors, he set about finding a software engineering internship, thinking that he might work at a tech company after graduation. Though he ended up getting that internship at Johnson & Johnson last spring, he also happened to choose Physics for his elective science course that semester. 

I really had a great time in physics. I thought that it was much more interesting than anything I had done yet in computer science. I wanted to continue studying physics, and I saw there was a lot of opportunity to use skills from computation and software to work in physics, whether research or other applications.” – Joseph David Quinn-Vitabile 

Quinn-Vitabile decided to add the minor in Physics as it would only be a few extra classes. He could continue studying it, meet more people, and get involved in research. And that’s what he did that following summer. “It all happened pretty quickly after that,” he says.

Learning Through Research: Skills Beyond the Classroom

After attending the Spring Research Symposium, Quinn-Vitabile thought the projects by Physics students looked interesting and wanted to get involved. Shortly after, he became involved with Professor Shaon Ghosh’s summer research project.

One thing that sets the College of Science and Mathematics (CSAM) apart from many schools is the CSAM Summer Research Program. Through the program, undergraduate students have the opportunity to work with faculty mentors on projects that teach them the fundamental skills needed to pursue research; for example, learning how to navigate a Unix operating system and the fundamentals of version control in web-based platforms like GitHub. 

“The physics department here is great because it’s pretty small,” says Quinn-Vitabile, “and as a student in the program, you have an opportunity to meet with the faculty and talk with them a lot. They’re all pretty interested in hearing about your future plans and giving you academic advice, such as courses to take and ideas on different career paths. I felt like I had a good connection with all my professors, especially Dr. Ghosh.”

How Faculty Mentorship Plays a Role in Student Success

A member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration – which detected gravitational waves for the first time in 2016 in a major scientific breakthrough – Ghosh was drawn to Montclair due its having the biggest conglomerate of LIGO researchers in New Jersey (more than Princeton even), and its proximity to New York City. Through this collaboration, Ghosh participated in the latest observing run of the LIGO detectors which ended at the start of this year.

As far as his impression of Quinn-Vitabile, Ghosh calls him “among the best undergraduate students” he’s ever seen.

“I’m actually comparing him against the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, which includes students from R1 universities, Ivy Leagues, Cal Tech and MIT,” says Ghosh. “He is among the best there as well.”

Quinn-Vitabile is now building on research previously developed by Ghosh – a software package called GWXtreme– which is designed to infer the internal composition of a neutron star (dense objects left behind after massive stars die). By integrating newly available artificial intelligence tools, particularly a class of neural networks known as “normalizing flows,” Quinn-Vitabile has significantly advanced his professor’s codebase and its capabilities. Now, calculations that once took days or even weeks can be done in seconds.

I wouldn’t have trusted just anyone with this – he is using brand-new technology to completely rewrite a codebase I developed years ago as a postdoctoral researcher. He’s doing this as an undergraduate, using tools and techniques that didn’t even exist back then. It’s incredibly impressive, and he’s doing a fantastic job.” – Professor Shaon Ghosh

Earning the Barry Goldwater Scholarship

After expressing interest in scholarships, Quinn-Vitabile began to apply for the Goldwater Scholarship, a rigorous application process that required him to go back through his accomplishments and think about his future research plans.

“It’s really important to have close connections with your professors, because you need three recommendations,” says Quinn-Vitabile.

The hard work paid off.

The scholarship, one of the most prestigious in the country for undergraduates in STEM fields, recognizes students with strong research potential and academic excellence. Quinn-Vitabile is one of 441 scholars, 240 of which intend to pursue research in the sciences.

Quinn-Vitabile credits the Physics department for its role in earning the Goldwater Scholarship and thinking through his future goals.

“It’s a great community of students and professors,” says Quinn-Vitabile. “The opportunities that are available for getting involved in research as an undergrad and for just talking and meeting with the professors are really helpful for considering your future.”

Shooting for the Stars

Quinn-Vitabile has decided to pursue a PhD program in astrophysics.

For Ghosh’s part, he genuinely believes that Quinn-Vitabile should go to graduate school.

“I would really love for him to go into research [with the LIGO Scientific Collaboration], but it is entirely up to him,” says Ghosh. “If he goes into LIGO research, that’s great. We have some wonderful grad students in LIGO. But otherwise, it’s also fine, as long as he’s happy with whatever he’s doing.”

Quinn-Vitabile has some advice for fellow students or prospective students who are curious about research: “Try to explore as much as possible as early as possible.”

“Everyone thinks that they’re not prepared, and you will never feel like you are prepared.” he adds. “There’s so much going on, not just in the Physics department, but in other science departments in the school, so many professors that are doing awesome work. Every month there’s so many events, like research symposiums. Go to those events, meet with people, meet with faculty, ask them what they work on.

“And if you find any interest in anything, just try. Even if you feel like you’re not prepared, you will learn a lot just by starting it. And because you’re an undergrad, you don’t have to do anything forever, which is a great benefit.”

Story by Carolina Marion, University Communications and Marketing

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