{"689542":{"#nid":"689542","#data":{"type":"news","title":"JMHP Student Looks to the Future--And Out Into Space","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA senior John H. Martinson Honors Program (JMHP) student, Carlos M\u00e1rcio de Oliveira e Silva Filho was recently announced as Georgia Tech\u0027s 2026 A. Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Undergraduate Award winner. This incredible honor is annually presented \u201cto a top student in the college whose academic work spans mathematics and physics.\u201d\u0026nbsp; Carlos was nominated by both the School of Math and School of Physics for his excellent research and exceptional contributions in both of the aforementioned fields. He\u2019s instilled major headways in discovering and studying \u201cthe intersection\u201d of math and physics and \u201chow they connect.\u201d This is his passion.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch at Georgia Tech\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECarlos\u0027s research at GT is primarily within the IceCube Collaboration, where he and his team study Arctic ice samples using \u201clight sensors scattered about one cubic kilometer of ice,\u201d an effort to find neutrino interactions through the light study in the observatory by identifying a soft glow produced by the interactions. Neutrinos are three of the 17 \u201cfundamental particles that are indivisible\u201d \u2013 they are incredibly minuscule, even smaller than atoms, and as a result, they rarely \u201cinteract with anything.\u201d For context, Carlos explained that \u201cthroughout your whole lifetime we expect only one neutrino to interact with your body\u2026to actually search for this [interaction], it\u2019s really hard.\u201d \u0026nbsp;Studying these interactions from the clearest material available, arctic ice, allows for some interesting analysis and discoveries.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThis research has brought Carlos into three ongoing papers on the following topics:\u0026nbsp; neutrinos in blazar black holes, \u201ca new kind of statistical model to try to constrain the properties of our analysis,\u201d and finally, on \u201cimplementing AI\u201d in order to further the project analysis and conclusions.\u0026nbsp;Carlos has enjoyed his lab work at the IceCube Collaboration over the last three and a half years, and his biggest takeaway from his experience is ensuring strong relationships with his teammates. He recommends that students and researchers \u201cfind a group that you fit well in, [a group where you are] not only doing something that you like, but also [making sure] you enjoy the work department there.\u201d Carlos reflects, \u201c...I work really well with my PI. I\u2019m really happy with my research group. We\u2019re very supportive of each other\u2026and I think that makes all the difference.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Academic and Extracurricular Career\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\tAs a double-major student in math and physics, Carlos\u2019 course load has consistently been both challenging and exciting. Starting out as a physics major, Carlos mentions that he \u201cstarted taking [physics] classes regularly,\u201d but ultimately \u0022realized that [he] did not know the math [he] needed for the physics [he] wanted to do.\u201d The skills he needed for his goals would only be developed if he took additional math classes that substantiated his physics knowledge.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EUpon taking linear algebra with abstract vector spaces, and then quantum mechanics, Carlos expressed that he \u201cwas really able to see physics\u2026through the lengths of linear algebra and those connections.\u201d This motivated him to double-major in math, expand his knowledge base even more, and dive into the research interests he had become intrinsically passionate about.\u0026nbsp;Carlos additionally emphasizes that being intentional with course selection based on one\u2019s specific future goals has been beneficial to his success at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAs a JMHP student, Carlos started out his academic career at the Hefner-Armstrong dorms (before the program was relocated to Eighth Street). He fondly recollects his many study experiences in the Honors classroom, where one \u201ccould study and\u2026socialize with other people\u2026[where] it was\u2026like an internal hub where we could make those connections\u201d with other Honors students. Additionally, his favorite \u201cnon-physics, non-major class\u201d was an HP English course focused on the genre of horror films. Taught by Dr. Eric Lewis, the class featured \u201cwatch parties\u201d coupled with reflective evening discussions, with the added bonus of professor-supplied sweet treats to enjoy. The HP course allowed students a lot of freedom and personalized academic engagement in project selection, project execution, etc. - a highly commended element of the course.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOutside of his research endeavors, Carlos is involved with the Society of Physics Students community at Georgia Tech, the Brazilian Student Association, and recreationally plays Dungeons and Dragons, a hobby he\u2019s been participating in \u201cfor well over a decade now.\u201d He stresses the importance of having hobbies outside of work, expanding that \u201c...I think [playing Dungeons and Dragons is] a nice bridge between having fun and friends and doing more of the creative side of things, like telling stories, playing characters\u201d etc.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EReflections and Future Plans\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAs graduation nears, Carlos has planned to attend a Masters or PhD program in fundamental theoretical physics, and is currently in the application process for both program options. He describes this field as the study of \u201cthe core theory behind everything else,\u201d essentially \u201cthe basis\u201d of all other concepts. Within this next phase of his educational career, Carlos plans on shifting his research focus to a more \u0022theoretical\u0022 and \u201cmath heavy\u201d sector of physics, working with \u201ccreating theories, creating models,\u201d etc., compared to his current, more \u201cexperimental,\u201d work in particle astrophysics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOne day, he aspires to be both a professor at a university, in addition to a full-time researcher at The Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, an institution filled with \u201c[physicists]...historians\u2026philosophers\u201d all \u201cdoing theoretical work.\u201d Not only is it a \u201cvery prestigious\u201d institution to be a member of, but it also supplies all basic needs for researchers, such as housing and food so that researchers can fully focus on their craft and make incredible progress in their endeavors.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOne concluding piece of advice from Carlos is that \u201cyou will only get as much out of the Honors Program as you put in\u2026.if you don\u2019t go to the events, if you don\u2019t take the classes, if you don\u0027t interact with your advisors, you won\u0027t get [good] things out of it.\u201d A student\u2019s experience at Georgia Tech is \u201creally something [that should be] cooperative, and the Honors Program is here to make sure you\u2019re having the most out of your experience.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith that in mind, let\u2019s give another warm round of applause to Carlos for his incredible academic and research accomplishments, and his acceptance of the A. Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Undergraduate Award. He will be honored at the GT Student Honors Celebration later this semester. All the best on your future successes, Carlos!\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn H. Martinson Honors Program student Carlos M\u00e1rcio de Oliveira e Silva Filho reflects on his future as the winner of the A. Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Undergraduate Award.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"John H. Martinson Honors Program student Carlos M\u00e1rcio de Oliveira e Silva Filho reflects on his future as the winner of the A. Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Undergraduate Award."}],"uid":"27332","created_gmt":"2026-04-07 19:42:19","changed_gmt":"2026-04-07 19:43:07","author":"Amy D\u0027Unger","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679886":{"id":"679886","type":"image","title":"CarlosBlogPostImage.png","body":null,"created":"1775590951","gmt_created":"2026-04-07 19:42:31","changed":"1775590951","gmt_changed":"2026-04-07 19:42:31","alt":"Photo of John H. Martinson Honors Program student Carlos M\u00e1rcio de Oliveira e Silva Filho","file":{"fid":"264106","name":"CarlosBlogPostImage.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/CarlosBlogPostImage.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/CarlosBlogPostImage.png","mime":"image\/png","size":12967131,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/07\/CarlosBlogPostImage.png?itok=z7q-E7VS"}}},"media_ids":["679886"],"groups":[{"id":"72437","name":"John H. Martinson Honors Program"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}