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INTRODUCING

Madelyn Leembruggen, PhD

Hungry Physicist & Science Communicator

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Madelyn Leembruggen

PhD in Theoretical Physics,

Harvard University

BS in Astro/Physics &

BA in Mathematics,

University of Cincinnati

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About

About

My speciality is the physics of the everyday.  Whether it's the culinary chemistry that fills our bellies, the material properties that built our world, or the engineering marvels that fuel our transportation, I love revealing the science and technology that underpin our modern lives.

I graduated from Harvard University in 2024 with a PhD in theoretical soft matter physics. My dissertation is at the intersection of soft condensed matter physics and materials science; I've built simulations of thin materials in order to study how paper crumples! As a PhD candidate and freelance educator, I have taught science to middle schoolers through graduate students in a variety of formal and informal settings, and developed research talks from 2 to 90 minutes long for audiences from general to technical.

I am dedicated to making STEM an equitable, inclusive, and accessible space for people from all backgrounds. To this end, I co-founded and am President of  A World of Women in STEM, an online learning space dedicated to celebrating past, present, and future women+ in STEM fields. 

Education & Experience

Science Communication

I am a researcher turned science communicator, intent on telling stories that center the human process of discovery. Drawing inspiration from history and the natural world, I use humor and compassion to demystify science. Video is my favorite medium, but I also work in written and audio formats.

The Doorway to the Underworld is Growing and We Can't Stop It
07:53

The Doorway to the Underworld is Growing and We Can't Stop It

Visit https://brilliant.org/scishow/ to get started learning STEM for free. The first 200 people will get 20% off their annual premium subscription and a 30-day free trial. Batagay (aka Batagaika) Crater goes by many names. Scientists call it a retrogressive thaw megaslump; the internet may know it best as the Doorway to the Underworld. And since it opened up in the Siberian permafrost over half a century ago, it's been getting bigger. Hosted by: Hank Green (he/him) ---------- Support us for $8/month on Patreon and keep SciShow going! https://www.patreon.com/scishow Or support us directly: https://complexly.com/support Join our SciShow email list to get the latest news and highlights: https://mailchi.mp/scishow/email ---------- Huge thanks go to the following Patreon supporters for helping us keep SciShow free for everyone forever: Odditeas , Garrett Galloway, Friso, DrakoEsper , Kenny Wilson, Lyndsay Brown, Jeremy Mattern, Jaap Westera, Rizwan Kassim, Harrison Mills, Jeffrey Mckishen, Matt Curls, Eric Jensen, Chris Mackey, Adam Brainard, Ash, You too can be a nice person, Piya Shedden, charles george, Alex Hackman, Kevin Knupp, Chris Peters, Kevin Bealer, Jason A Saslow ---------- Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet? SciShow Tangents Podcast: https://scishow-tangents.simplecast.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scishow Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow Instagram: http://instagram.com/thescishow Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow #SciShow #science #education #learning #complexly ---------- Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lFwooq8DOsNuPYwouyhQzEONRwGQyft42-qvATOUGMs/pub
MIT Professor Explains Nuclear Fusion in 5 Levels of Difficulty | WIRED
24:30

MIT Professor Explains Nuclear Fusion in 5 Levels of Difficulty | WIRED

Nuclear fusion underpins some of the most basic processes in our universe and holds the promise of virtually limitless, clean, carbon-free energy. Dr. Anne White, Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been challenged to explain the nature of nuclear fusion to 5 different people; a child, a teen, a college student, a grad student, and an expert. Director: Wendi Jonassen Director of Photography: Jim Petit Editor: Louville Moore Host: Dr. Anne White Guest: Level 1 - Amelya Salva; Level 2 - Marianna Noel McCallum; Level 3 - Yash Bhora; Level 4 - Madelyn Leembruggen; Level 5 - Dr. Pablo Rodriguez-Fernandez Creative Producer: Maya Dangerfield Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas Production Manager: D. Eric Martinez Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila Casting Producer: Nicholas Sawyer Camera Operator: Brian Galford Sound Mixer: Tim Haggerty Hair & Make-Up: EIeni Koutloumpasis Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen Additional Editor: Paul Tael Assistant Editor: Andy Morell -- 0:00 5 Levels of Nuclear Fusion 0:29 Level 1: Child 5:03 Level 2: Teen 9:27 Level 3: College Student 13:52 Level 4: Grad Student 19:33 Level 5: Expert 24:11 Conclusion Still haven’t subscribed to WIRED on YouTube? ►► http://wrd.cm/15fP7B7 Listen to the Get WIRED podcast ►► https://link.chtbl.com/wired-ytc-desc Want more WIRED? Get the magazine ►► https://subscribe.wired.com/subscribe/splits/wired/WIR_YouTube?source=EDT_WIR_YouTube_0_Video_Description_ZZ Follow WIRED: Instagram ►►https://instagram.com/wired Twitter ►►http://www.twitter.com/wired Facebook ►►https://www.facebook.com/wired Get more incredible stories on science and tech with our daily newsletter: https://wrd.cm/DailyYT Also, check out the free WIRED channel on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV. ABOUT WIRED WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. Through thought-provoking stories and videos, WIRED explores the future of business, innovation, and culture.
Dr. Joan Murrell Owens: Call of the Coral
06:16

Dr. Joan Murrell Owens: Call of the Coral

Turning a deep-sea passion into singular discoveries. Read the blog to explore more about button corals and Dr. Owens' research: https://www.wowstem.org/post/joan-murrell-owens Adapted from "Joan Murrell Owens and the Button Corals" by David Obuchowski A married couple, Sarah Pedry and David Obuchowski collaborate on various projects. In addition to their "Scenes & Sketches" of Women Naturalists for The Hairpin, Sarah and David will have their first children's picture book published in March, 2023 by mineditionUS (Astra Publishing). It is entitled How Birds Sleep and is available for pre-order/purchase wherever books are sold. They are quite active in their own independent work, as well. Learn more about the book here: https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/how-birds-sleep-9781662650970/ Sarah is an artist and illustrator who is deeply inspired by nature. A voracious researcher, she is also a teaching artist at the Denver Botanic Gardens School of Botanical Art & Illustration. There, she teaches classes on a variety of subjects from nature journaling to abstract art. Among other places, her work has been featured at the High Line in New York City. Her website is SarahPedry.com David is a prolific writer of both fiction and nonfiction whose long-form essays focus on culture, the arts, and the human experience as it relates to cars. His short fiction has been nominated for multiple Pushcart Prizes as well as inclusion in the Best American Short Stories and Best of the Net anthologies. He is the creator, host, producer, and writer of the audio documentary series, TEMPEST, which was recently adapted into a television series. His website is DavidObuchowski.com Primary sources and additional readings: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_corals/welcome.html https://ocean.si.edu/human-connections/careers/joan-murrell-owens-and-her-button-corals Intro and outro jingle credits: Erin Crawley, IG @tunes.with.erin

Physics Research

My graduate work at Harvard University was at the intersection of soft condensed matter physics and material science, exploring deformations of thin sheets. Specifically, I studied how paper crumples and ribbons wrinkle!

I built simulations in C++ to model thin materials, and used Python to visualize the results of our simulations.

Skills & Languages

As an undergraduate at the University of Cincinnati, I studied theoretical cosmology, focusing on dark matter candidates such as the axion and other axion-like particles. I used pencil and paper (and a LOT of chalk) to calculate the gravitational stability of structures that these hypothetical particles might form.

Papers related to these topics can be found on my publications tab.

Awards & Interests

Fellowships & Awards

2024 Harvard Physics Excellence in Teaching Prize