The Majors’ Room in Dickinson’s Rector Science Complex is an inviting spot where students can hang out, collaborate with fellow students in their major or find a quiet corner to study, in close proximity to friends. It’s Lia Gilmore ’25’s favorite place on campus, and next fall, she’ll likely spend quite of bit of time there, assisting a senior physics major with a thesis project. But Gilmore’s life isn’t all about physics—she’s also very interested in learning about Italian language and culture and social media marketing, and next fall she’ll be a social media ambassador with Dickinson's Department of Marketing & Communications and a student-associate at the college's Quantitative Reasoning Center.
Hometown:
West Islip, New York.
Major:
Physics, with a minor in Italian.
Clubs and organizations:
Kappa Alpha Theta, Physics Club, and Astronomy Club. This coming fall, I will also be a social-media ambassador for the college’s Department of Marketing & Communications and will work as a student-associate in the Quantitative Reasoning Center.
Honors/scholarships/awards:
Dean’s List and Provost Scholarship.
Best thing about my Dickinson experience so far:
Discovering more about myself and being able to meet new people from different backgrounds. I also appreciate being able to schedule my days based on what works for me, as opposed to having a full 7-2 school day, like in high school.
Proudest accomplishment so far:
Doing my takeover for Dickinson’s Instagram page! I was very proud of it, and got a lot of feedback from people saying I did a good job. It was great to be able to share my Dickinson experience and show what makes the school so special to me!
Best thing about my major:
I love the people in my major that I have met. They have so much passion for physics. The professors are equally passionate, and they are committed to their students. I also really like the Majors’ Room, a dedicated space for the physics majors to hang out and get work done, either collaboratively or independently.
On choosing Dickinson:
The moment I stepped onto campus when I visited, I could see myself going here. I knew I wanted the liberal-arts experience, and I didn’t want a big school where professors couldn’t give their full attention to their students. Dickinson was my first choice, and I am very glad to be attending.
Favorite book:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr or Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.
Favorite place on campus:
The Majors’ Room on the second floor of Tome.
Favorite class/learning experience so far:
Italian 231 with Professor of Italian and Film Studies Nicoletta Marini-Maio. I took this class as a final indicator of whether I would want to minor in Italian. The passion that the Italian department has for language education is infectious, and the opportunity to study abroad in Bologna, Italy, further on in my Dickinson career is too exciting to miss. I am grateful to have taken that class, which revitalized my passion for the Italian language.
About my research:
Next semester I will assist one of the physics seniors with their thesis, under the guidance of Senior Associate Provost Catrina Hamilton-Drager. This summer I am studying astronomical data reduction in preparation for that project.
Read more Student Snapshots.
Published July 21, 2022