UCalgary Natural Sciences student wins research prize at national conference

Undergraduate Natural Sciences student Luisa Vargas Suarez (concentrating in Energy Science, Chemistry, and Computer Science) won the top prize for undergraduate research at the 41st annual national Canadian Nuclear Society conference, which took place June 5-8, 2022.

Luisa's project involved building a simulation that helps people understand the inner workings of a nucleus, and the connections between what’s inside a nucleus, the periodic table of elements and the chart of nuclides.  The simulation was also translated into several languages.

View the different simulations:

• Build a Nucleus (English)
• Build a Nucleus (Spanish)
• Build a Nucleus (French)
• Build a Nucleus (Italian)
• Build a Nucleus (Portuguese)
• Build a Nucleus (Portuguese - Brazil)
• Build a Nucleus (German)
• Build a Nucleus (Dutch)
• Build a Nucleus (Simplified Chinese)
• Build a Nucleus (Arabic)

Her project was in with collaboration with Department of Physics and Astronomy senior instructor Dr. Jason Donev, the University of Colorado, Boulder’s PhET team and the Museum of Nuclear Science and History (the Smithsonian affiliate museum for nuclear matters).

Congratulations Luisa!