Searching for his passion
Foxboro resident Liam Daly ’26 was drawn to Wheaton by its proximity to home and his interest in the college’s dual degree program in engineering at Dartmouth College. After taking courses and exploring other areas of interest at Wheaton for two years, Liam is spending his junior year at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering. He will return to Wheaton for his senior year and complete a bachelor’s degree in physics before heading back to Dartmouth for a fifth year to earn a Bachelor of Engineering degree.
Hands-on learning
After taking “Introduction to Physics” with John Collins, he worked with the physics professor to support his research with lasers and completed a summer internship in his laser spectroscopy lab. Through an independent study last fall with Dipankar Maitra, associate professor of physics/astronomy, Daly helped design and fabricate solar filter mounts using laser cutters and 3D printers. The mounts were added to an instrument to help study solar coronal polarization during April’s total solar eclipse.
Fascinated by flying and aerospace
He arrived at Wheaton with a desire to “contribute to the aerospace industry, such as space exploration,” Daly shares. He considered becoming a pilot, took more than a dozen flying lessons, and drove with a friend to Cape Canaveral, Fla., to witness a SpaceX rocket launch. “It was really cool to see,” he shares. “I like SpaceX and their mission to help us go back to the moon, and potentially to Mars in the future. That really resonates with me.”
Musically inclined
A talented high school musician, Daly played clarinet for two years in Wheaton’s Great Woods Symphony Orchestra. Directed by Professor of Music Delvyn Case, the group of students, faculty and community members practices and performs together once each semester. He is in the process of changing his tune. “Right now, I’m more focused on the piano,” says Daly. “I’ve been taking private lessons for about a year and plan to continue while I’m at Dartmouth.” He plans to rejoin the orchestra when he’s back on campus for his senior year, but may be playing a different instrument.
Buys textbooks … for fun!
In his spare time, Daly has been educating himself. “I have a habit of buying textbooks and trying to learn things on my own,” he said. “I’m working my way through a math textbook and learning much about physics, math, computer science and engineering. He’s yet to decide what he’ll pursue after earning his degrees. “I think there are many things that I could do, like maybe being a rocket engineer. I know that I want to do something that’s quantitative, but I’m still figuring it out.”