#WSGCStudentSpotlight

Natalie Hilliard
Senior
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Major:  Physics, Astronomy, Mathematics, Philosophy

Natalie Hilliard is this week’s #WSGCStudentSpotlight! She is a 2016 Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate Scholarship awardee.  Natalie is a native Wisconsinite and hopes to represent the state as one of NASA’s next astronauts. She studies computational astrophysics, specifically disk galaxy dynamics and philosophy of quantum mechanics.  The UW-Madison student conducted research in computational chemistry on campus; as well as, radio and space physics at MIT Haystack Observatory Atmospheric Science Group.  Natalie serves as the professional development chair for the University Physical Society and a group learning leader in the Physics Learning Center.  In Natalie’s downtime, she is a frequent dancer in Madison Swing and the Madtown Ballroom performance team.  This week’s Student Spotlight plans to pursue her doctorate in astronomy with a career path in astrophysical research.