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Kerstin Nordstrom studies how materials flow and deform in the field of granular physics and complex fluids.  For context, consider sand, which consists of many individual grains and sometimes acts very much like a solid and at other times flows like a fluid.  Active granular materials are ones in which the individual particles have agency, whether flocking birds or small robots with programmable interactions.  Granular materials surround us, and understanding their behavior has wide ranging applications from food processing and pharmaceuticals to avalanches and soft robotics.  

Kerstin is the recipient of $1.4 million of grant money over the past ten years.  She received the NSF CAREER Award in 2019, a prestigious honor for early career faculty members who demonstrate excellence as teacher-scholars.  She was recognized as a Cottrell Scholar in 2018 by the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement.  Further demonstrating her national recognition and the respect of her peers, Kerstin was elected to co-chair the upcoming Granular Matter Gordon Conference for 2026.  

Kerstin has expanded her scholarship to include research in education and identity in physics.  From serving on the American Physical Society’s Committee for the Status of Women in Physics to accepting a range of invited talks, she is a tireless advocate for women and underrepresented groups in physics.  In 2018, Kerstin co authored a much-read American Physical Society News article titled “For SHE’s a Jolly Good Fellow” that carefully analyzed the recent APS Fellows and debunked the often heard argument that zero women nominees is merely a result of “the statistics of small numbers”.  

Kerstin demonstrates her commitment to education and broadening participation in physics through her mentorship of 69��Ʒ��Ƶ students.  She has worked with a diverse group of 35 students in the research lab over the past ten years.  Seven of her more than twenty publications include student coauthors, and her students regularly present at national conferences. She obtained funding for and founded Science Launch, which brings incoming first year students from underrepresented groups in the sciences to build a cohort and help with college skills before classes begin.

Kerstin also finds the time to engage the public.  She has led SciTech Cafe since the fall of 2018, which holds monthly events that bring a scientist to discuss their work to an audience of about 100 people.  Before each event, she appears on WHMP’s The Bill Newman Show to talk about science and the upcoming topic, and she has made additional radio appearances to discuss the science of hunting ghosts and the physics of rainbows.  She made us proud when she appeared on Jeopardy! in 2016.

Kerstin Nordstrom’s work informs colleagues, inspires students, and engages the public.  We recognize Kerstin’s excellence as a scholar-teacher, and we are delighted to present her with the Meribeth E. Cameron Faculty Award for Scholarship.