1:26 p.m., Central Mall

Wind flies through the Central Mall and right into their trap.

Physics majors Aidan Augustus ’27 and Nahom Worku ’28 focus intently, analyzing the incoming data for a research study with the School of Engineering, examining how atmospheric changes affect the way light travels.

The tripod looks straight from a sci-fi movie — its sensor arms stretching outward like a claw machine without the stuffed animal prize.

The machine hums as it sends ultrasonic waves to measure the wind’s speed and direction. Grass beneath their feet, the young men and machine work together to decipher the wind velocity — the study’s most crucial measurement — swirling around them.

This research is part of a larger project that’s been underway for several years. One of the team’s discoveries is surprisingly simple to picture: A laser beam that begins as a perfect circle stretches into an oval as it travels through the air.

“We’re uncovering new physics here. Nobody knows why this type of optical phenomenon occurs, and we’re uncovering it actively,” Worku said.

Victor Kulikov, assistant professor of physics, who oversees the study, said, “These measurements will help us better understand how the atmosphere influences light, which could improve future optical and imaging technologies."

Photography by Sylvia Stahl '18.

A version of this article appears in print in the Autumn 2026 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 21. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE