Sean Gavin

For conducting theoretical research aimed at understanding the properties of very-high-density matter formed in high-energy collisions between atomic nuclei. Gavin's calculations also predict specific behavior of the collision products. Comparisons between theory and experiments will help scientists to determine whether matter exists in a state known as a quark-gluon plasma. Gavin's work involves undergraduate and graduate students, and he is establishing an ambitious outreach initiative to encourage K-12 scientific literacy by educating undergraduate pre-service teachers of all disciplines, using case-method techniques.