Shruti Giri

The Faculty committee selected three top nominations from the 42 potential candidates. All three were very different, but on a par in terms of diversity and excellence. The GUF jury finally selected Shruti Giri on account of her pitch (not live, but sent via video due to personal circumstances), in which she clearly and passionately explained how the very first Planck seconds of the creation of the universe could help us to understand more about the essence of particle physics.

Shruti has achieved excellent study results, strikingly gaining her highest marks for the most difficult course units. There is little doubt that she will easily be awarded an Honours predicate for her Bachelor’s degree in Science in Physics (specializing in particle physics with a Minor in Materials and Radiation). She also works very well in a team.

In addition to her regular degree programme, Shruti is also following the Honours programme, for which she carried out a research project entitled ‘Where are the Women in Physics?’. She is particularly interested in making Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) more inclusive for women and other groups that are under-represented in STEM. In the summer of 2020, she set up a special online platform for this purpose: repreSTEM. In addition, she is a volunteer at ROOTS, an organization that aims to popularize science among the residents of the Groningen Beijum neighbourhood.

Shruti has filled several student assistant posts, and was always given glowing evaluations by the students. She is also a mentor for first-year students. The letters of recommendation that accompanied her nomination could not have been more positive. Her role in the sounding board group for improving the study programme in the current online world is greatly appreciated by the lecturers concerned.

Shruti claims to be passionate about science, particularly particle physics and cosmology. Her aim is to share this passion with society and work to make STEM sciences more inclusive. According to the jury, she has already made an excellent start.