UWG Physics Student Speaks on Research and Publication Success Share this page
Being published in one of the most well-recognized peer-reviewed academic journals would never cross many college students’ minds. For Carter Reed, it was one of many experiences that furthered his academic drive as a student.
Reed’s college journey has been met with a few ups and downs. Being a student at the University of West Georgia since 2020, he originally enrolled as a music education major and then switched over to a double major in physics and chemistry. Although he suffered setbacks and took time off from school, Reed’s love for science reemerged at a time when he was in need of motivation.
“I spent most of that time in my hometown working in the field for a land surveying company,” Reed said. “After coming back in fall 2023, I got started in my physics courses and was accepted into Dr. [John] Hansen’s chemistry research program.”
After his acceptance into the chemistry program, Hansen and Dr. Ajith DeSilva assisted Reed with a research topic that they believed he was the best fit for. Alongside his classmates and DeSilva, the research paper was recognized for the investigation and conduction of the classical Hall effect, which occurs when a current-carrying conductor is placed on a section of the magnetic field and causes a “Hall voltage.” The writing process was very time consuming and took several months – it consisted of presenting an initial draft, revising edits with his group and receiving peer reviews.
During the course of the research process, Reed implemented the knowledge that he learned from his physics courses into the concepts of the research paper’s layout.
“If it weren’t for the courses I was taking, it would have taken so much longer for the paper to be written simply because I wouldn’t have had the understanding needed to do my part,” he said.
Among his physics courses and help from his professors, all the hard work paid off when he earned the chance to present his research at UWG Scholars’ Day 2025 and the Georgia Academy of Science conference. The biggest thing to come out of all of this? Being selected for publication in the Georgia Journal of Science. Not once did Reed expect this massive achievement to happen, but it increased his interest in pursuing more research papers in the future.
“This publication only makes me more excited about future research opportunities,” Reed said. “I plan on working on more papers.”
Reed’s college journey was met with uncertainty at first, but he pushed through adversity and achieved excellent accomplishments along the way. Following his undergraduate education, he plans to continue with his physics endeavors stating,
“I very much look forward to what the future holds, whether it be more research or focusing on my classes,” he concluded.