My name is Aidan Keaveney, and I'm a rising senior double majoring in Physics and Mathematics at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. My research interests are in experimental physics and applied mathematics. I am interested in using scientific tools to find creative solutions to challenging problems in a variety of disciplines. In the past, I've worked on research collaborations studying neutrinoless double beta decay, gravitational waves, and dark matter. I am also an avid science communicator and servant leader. I volunteer with traditional and alternative education groups in Boone to bring STEM opportunities to students who may not otherwise have them. As President of Appalachian State’s SPS Chapter, I strive to build connections between faculty, students, and community members through programming and outreach.

I am originally from Durham, North Carolina, simultaneously one of the academia and research capitals of the world and a city steeped in civil rights history. Even as I was afforded remarkable academic opportunities, it was impossible to grow up where I did without being exposed to troubling disparities in access to those opportunities. It was this dissonance that first drew me to advocacy, policy, and government. I published my first papers on inequalities in education in 2019 and 2021. This passion has only deepened while observing the changes in sociopolitical discourse in the era of social media. I believe scientists have a unique opportunity and responsibility to speak on some of the issues that most impact the collective good, be it climate change, infectious disease, energy, modern infrastructure, technology, and so on. I am so excited to join the SPS Summer Internship Program as an AIP Mather Policy Intern to explore the impact that scientists can have in these discussions.

In my spare time, I enjoy swimming, reading too many dystopian novels, and cheering for Tar Heels basketball with my two brothers, Caleb and Gabe, and parents, Eileen and David.