Byron Daniel Honored with Graduate Student Service Award
By Kirsten Heuring
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Carnegie Mellon University Ph.D. student Byron Daniel believes that small, local changes are the best way to start making a difference.
"I see avenues where I can help someone, and then I try to help them," said Daniel, a graduate student in the Department of Physics. "My goal has always been to make it so as many people as possible can have a positive experience."
Daniel has made changes through a myriad of organizations and programs: the National Science Foundation (NSF) Artificial Intelligence Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF AI REU), the University Leadership Student Advisory Council, the Mellon College of Science Dean Search Committee, the Provost Graduate Advisory Board and the Joint Funding Committee Oversight Committee.
He said the work he was most proud of was as the first outreach teaching assistant (TA) for the Department of Physics and as a vice president of the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA).
Daniel pioneered the outreach TA position in 2020 and worked with students and teachers in Pittsburgh Public Schools, where he shared physics demonstrations with elementary, middle and high school students.
"A lot of students got to see a lot of science, research and experiments, and they got exposure to university science that they had not seen before," Daniel said. "The teachers said they're very grateful for the opportunity to have these connections to Carnegie Mellon that they're still experiencing today."
As part of the GSA, Daniel learned that not all student organizations received equitable funding based on the number of students participating. He looked through years of funding and membership data, using statistical and data analysis techniques learned from his research. He found that though the initial funding allocation model worked for a smaller number of student organizations, the model became less accurate as the number of student groups and the amount of funding increased. He shared his work with the other members of the GSA, the Joint Funding Committee (JFC), and the SLICE office, so they could implement changes in student organization funding in the future.
"It was one of the first times I really got to use a lot of the skills I developed in university and in research in a context that wasn't just science," Daniel said. "It was really rewarding."
In Daniel's research as part of the Parno group, he investigates neutrinos, particles a million times lighter than an electron. Unlike most particles, neutrinos only rarely interact with matter. Daniel has worked to investigate the mass of neutrinos.
In the lab, Daniel also mentored undergraduate students and junior graduate students. Diana Parno, Falco-DeBenedetti Associate Professor of Physics and Daniel's advisor, said that Daniel made significant contributions to both the lab's research and environment.
"Byron has always been eager and effective in finding opportunities to support other graduate students, and he carries this devotion to his research work," Parno said. "He has devoted substantial time, effort and creativity to improving the experience of graduate students at all levels"
For his dedication to his fellow graduate students and his contributions to the broader Carnegie Mellon community, Daniel was awarded the Graduate Student Service Award. Rachel Mandelbaum, professor and interim head of the Department of Physics, said that Daniel's work has made a significant impact on the department and on the university.
"He is an outstanding citizen of the department, college and university who consistently advocates for the needs and interests of the student population," Mandelbaum said. "He conscientiously seeks to improve any group of which he is a member. I can think of no more qualified student for the Graduate Student Service Award."
Daniel will graduate with his Ph.D. this spring. After, he plans to pursue a teaching certification so he can work as a science educator. He said he looks forward to finding new ways to help others.
"One of my favorite things about science is making other people interested in science and using science to help others," Byron said. "I think the best way for me to accomplish both of these goals is doing science education and science outreach."