Dear members of the APS FGSA,

As physicists, we are obligated not only to study physics, but also to engage each other
to solve issues facing the community and spread knowledge to the public. If accepted as a
Member-at-Large of the FGSA, I would advocate for the needs of graduate students and unite
students in serving the community around us.
I am a first-year Ph.D. student in Physics at UC Berkeley, with a planned focus in highenergy experiment. I recently graduated from Rutgers, where I was involved in several
projects: 2 years on CMS doing SUSY searches, a summer on LHCb at TU Dortmund in
Germany measuring CKM parameters, and a summer at PPPL doing analysis on NSTX-U.
Outside the classroom and lab, I spent my time in student government. As a junior, I served
as President of the Engineering Governing Council, overseeing the actions of 70 members
and 10 committees and representing 3300 students. Under my leadership, we set records in
membership and responses to our annual survey. We also improved the Universitys course
registration system and enhanced safety infrastructure. In my senior year, I served on the
University Senates Executive Committee, where I was the sole student representative for
Rutgers-New Brunswick, representing 40,000 students. I worked with faculty, staff, and
alumni on many issues, the most prominent being the selection of the University graduation
speaker. After the 2014 speaker was protested, I endeavored to ensure that the 2015 speaker
would be inclusive of all students; our committee chose Bill Nye, whose speech was
universally praised. Lastly, I participated in outreach; I was a counselor for the NJ Governors
School in Engineering & Technology. I stimulated high school students interest in STEM, and
I led a project where students designed a water purification system and examined the impact
of its installation in a Guatemalan village.
As a Member-at-Large, I would determine and resolve the needs of students across
the country, which could be done by launching a climate survey to understand shared
concerns. I also hope to work at the intersection of science, policy, and outreach, striving to
increase the worlds literacy. I look forward to being involved in FGSA!
Warm Regards,
Vetri Velan