Spencer Smith

he/him

  • Associate Professor of Physics
  • Chair of Physics & Astronomy
Spencer Smith, Faculty

Spencer Smith's work seeks to characterize the complexity inherent in chaotic fluid motion by uncovering dynamically relevant and topologically robust fluid structures. He investigates how these ideas are pertinent from micro-fluidic chips at the small scale to pollution tracking and prediction in oceanic flows on a much larger scale and touch on some of the deep questions in fluid dynamics, such as the nature of turbulence.

Spencer is also very interested in the intersection of art and physics, and he curated a show at the MHC Art Museum in fall 2017 on the science photographs of Berenice Abbott. 

Areas of Expertise

physics (fluid dynamics); math (dynamic systems theory & topology); computer science (finite elements, data structures, algorithm development, and numerical methods)

Education

  • Ph.D., M.S., Tufts University
  • B.A., Dartmouth College

Happening at 果冻传媒

Recent Campus News

Mount Holyoke College celebrated the life and legacy of alum Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey 鈥59, the first woman to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Mount Holyoke students dove into the future, applying interdisciplinary skills to technology innovation by designing ethical AI solutions for real-world issues in the College鈥檚 first-ever AWS Generative AI Case Competition.

Alum Shoshana Walter 鈥07, an investigative journalist, credits her Mount Holyoke education with fueling her drive to expose injustice. Her book 鈥淩ehab: An American Scandal鈥 details how a flawed treatment system fails those battling addiction.

Recent Publications

Smith, S.A., Gong, R. (2022). Braiding dynamics in active nematics. Frontiers in Physics, 10.

View More