Mike Sori, B.S. 2008
Assistant Professor, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
2008 Major: Mathematics and Physics
How has being a Mathematics graduate from Duke helped shape you personally and/or professionally?
"I am a planetary scientist who uses observations from NASA's robotic spacecraft missions to explore the solid planets and moons of our Solar System. My research team at Purdue studies the interiors and surfaces of worlds like the Moon, Mars, Pluto, and more. Mathematics and physics – my two majors at Duke – are the core of all the research that I do. My foundation in math and physics from Duke allows me to analyze spacecraft data and create numerical simulations of planetary processes. I feel like focusing strongly on the fundamentals of math and physics during my time as an undergraduate gave me an advantage in learning the more applied planetary science in graduate school and beyond."
What advice would you give students in Duke's Mathematics programs?
"Math and physics enable so many other scientific disciplines. If you have aspirations of being a scientist or doing research in any of the physical sciences, from geology to astronomy, there are few things better that you can do for yourself than learn the fundamentals of math and physics really well in your time as an undergraduate at Duke."
