Kieran Barvenik – Angie Delaney Memorial Scholar 2nd Year Scholar, PhD Candidate
Mechanical Engineering University of Maryland
Research: My research seeks to explore the development of novel soft hemispherical robots, which utilize a flexible hemispherical shell coupled with pneumatic or hydraulic loading to produce a complex “Pac-Man” grasping shape. Because...
Isaac Bilsel – Barbara Luchsinger Memorial Scholar 2nd Year Scholar, PhD Candidate
Computer Engineering George Washington University
Research: Modern large language models use a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) approach to scale to massive sizes by activating only parts of the model at a time. While this reduces computation, it creates complex communication...
Alexander "Sasha" Frolov – Endowment Scholar 2nd Year Scholar, PhD Candidate
Computer Science University of Maryland
Research: My research area is cryptography, which is the mathematical study of secure communication and computation. I am interested in making cryptographic systems faster and more capable. I currently work on Zero-Knowledge Proofs, which...
As summer begins to wind down, board members have been hard at work preparing another exciting year for ARCS Metro Washington. We have been planning our upcoming events, including this fall's Scholar Awards Reception (SAR) on Nov 5, while also beginning preliminary planning for our 2027...
ARCS MWC has had a successful year, and we'd like to recap some of the highlights. We have enjoyed outstanding programs and events with increased member attendance throughout the year. Our Eagle Celebration was particularly successful, raising enough funds to support several future scholars. Our University...
The 2026 Eagle Award Celebration, attended by members of the ARCS® Metro Washington Chapter (ARCS MWC) and other ARCS chapters, donors, Scholars, Scholar Alums, and guests, was held on May 1 at The Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC.
The Honorable Deborah Wince-Smith, Founder and CEO of the Council on...
Clara Stahlmann Roeder O’Connor – MWC Chapter Scholar 1st Year Scholar, PhD candidate
Biology & Biomedical Engineering University of Virginia
Research: My research studies how age and prior social experience affect the perception and response to social environments, focusing on fighting behavior in the long-lived forked fungus beetle, including how...
Nicole Crumpler – Michelle & Julian Francis Scholar 1st Year Scholar, PhD candidate
Physics and Astronomy Johns Hopkins University
Research: My research combines theoretical physics and observational astronomy to explore unknown physics, such as dark matter and quantum gravity, by using black hole mergers and white dwarf stars to search...
ARCS MWC Membership hosted a New Member Orientation on Fri, Apr 10 at the home of Jane Riddle. New members who have joined in the past three years gathered for social time and then an orientation to the ARCS MWC councils and committees, including time for Q&A. Huge thanks to co-VP...
What a month it's been! We began with a wonderful New Member Orientation, where 15 new and current members gathered for an engaging evening. Hilary Sparrell (co-VP Membership) provided an excellent overview of the ARCS MWC mission, our university partnerships, chapter structure, and calendar.
