Paul Zelle

Paul Zelle

Wartburg College sophomore Paul Zelle has been awarded a $5,000 Rossing Scholarship in Physics from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Zelle is pursuing a double major in computer science and physics. He also is active in multiple music ensembles on campus and hopes to find a career that combines his interests.

“I would like to work in an area where physics, music and computer science intersect,” Zelle said in his application. “I have read about neural networks being used to efficiently mimic solutions to equations in physics, and I would be interested in researching how machine learning, especially physics-guided neural networks, can be applied to problems in acoustics and music production.”

Zelle is one of only 14 students from the entire network of ELCA colleges and universities receiving a Rossing award. The scholarships, awarded to exemplary students in physics, are made possible by the Thomas D. Rossing Fund for Physics Education through the Foundation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

“Paul seems to be highly motivated intrinsically, and his academic work thus far has been characterized by a strong work ethic, regular and valuable contributions to in-class discussions, and impeccable work product,” wrote Ben Bousquet, associate professor of physics, in his recommendation letter. “I am excited to see what he achieves.”