Senior Salute - Eric Johnson

Our "Senior Salute" series continues with Eric Johnson, a physics major from Athens, Ohio. Johnson is a member of the cross country and track and field teams.

Q: Why did you choose to attend The College of Wooster?
A: I chose Wooster for the opportunities to balance my academics with athletics by participating in undergraduate research with friends and teammates who are dedicated to both. The final deciding factor for me was how fun and friendly my teammates were.

Q: What does being a Fighting Scot student-athlete mean to you?
A: Being a Fighting Scot means I am a student-athlete at a school that cares about you becoming an individual and embracing all of your interests.

Q: What are some of your favorite memories as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: There is so much I have enjoyed from participating in science outreach with local elementary and middle schools with the Physics Club to racing against the top competition in the Great Lakes region at regionals to being undefeated in the intramural basketball regular season with my teammates.

Q: What is the best part about being a student-athlete at The College of Wooster?
A: Being allowed to embrace every part of yourself while being accepted by your teammates and other students.

Q: What else were you involved with on campus besides your sport?
A: I have held many campus jobs including being a peer tutor, peer mentor, sophomore research assistant, and a STEM Zone intern. I am the vice president of the Physics Club and I was previously the secretary of the Astronomy Club.

Q: Which College of Wooster faculty or staff member has made the greatest impact on you and why?
A: Dr. Laura DeGroot was my first-year seminar professor and was a research advisory for me starting the second semester of my first year at Wooster. She provided me with an opportunity to do research early on in my time here, which has set me up with other opportunities. She has also consistently been a professor I can talk to about my personal life and is always willing to listen.

Q: What other people or resources impacted your Wooster experience in a positive way and how did these people and resources set you up to be successful at Wooster?
A: My coaches have had great impact on me during my time here. Both Coach Dennis Rice and Coach Ellie Jindra are awesome people who create a fun break in my day every single day. Their consistency and dedication has taught me to have my own consistency and dedication with academics, athletics, and life.

Q: Tell us a bit about your Independent Study project?
A: I am researching the effect of radiation therapy on tissue using biomimetic gel dosimeters. I started this research over the summer where I fabricated these gels and tested different recipes. I am now implementing them to three-dimensional printed head phantoms. These are imaged in pre-clinical MRIs and MR-LINAC systems. I am also creating a computational Monte Carlo simulation of this.

Q: Tell us a bit about something cool you did as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: I attended two conferences for the Eastern Great Lakes of the American Physical Society where I have had the opportunity to present previous research including research on semiconductors and research I completed here at Wooster on avalanche occurrence. I even won a presentation award at my first conference with my research from Wooster.

Q: Reflecting back on your time at Wooster, what advice would you give your first-year self?
A: Keep an open mind for trying new things and it is okay to struggle. It is all part of the experience. Embrace it, do not be embarrassed about struggling.

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