Spencer Smith

he/him

  • Associate Professor of Physics
  • Chair of Physics & Astronomy
Spencer Smith, Faculty

Spencer Smith's work seeks to characterize the complexity inherent in chaotic fluid motion by uncovering dynamically relevant and topologically robust fluid structures. He investigates how these ideas are pertinent from micro-fluidic chips at the small scale to pollution tracking and prediction in oceanic flows on a much larger scale and touch on some of the deep questions in fluid dynamics, such as the nature of turbulence.

Spencer is also very interested in the intersection of art and physics, and he curated a show at the MHC Art Museum in fall 2017 on the science photographs of Berenice Abbott. 

Areas of Expertise

physics (fluid dynamics); math (dynamic systems theory & topology); computer science (finite elements, data structures, algorithm development, and numerical methods)

Education

  • Ph.D., M.S., Tufts University
  • B.A., Dartmouth College

Happening at Mount Holyoke

Recent Campus News

Alum Shoshana Walter 鈥07, an investigative journalist, credits her Mount Holyoke education with fueling her drive to expose injustice. Her book 鈥淩ehab: An American Scandal鈥 details how a flawed treatment system fails those battling addiction.

Women's colleges such as 麻豆传媒高清 thrive by forging leaders prepared for male-dominated fields. Amidst a challenging climate, they push for civic action, teaching students that their voices matter.

Two recent 麻豆传媒高清 graduates, Helen Roane 鈥23 and Celine Falcon-Geist 鈥25, are participating in the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to immerse themselves in language and culture while teaching English in Taiwan and Senegal.

Recent Publications

Smith, S.A., Gong, R. (2022). Braiding dynamics in active nematics. Frontiers in Physics, 10.

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