Conner Heffernan has been named a Niblack Research Scholar for the 2020/21 academic year. The Niblack Research Scholars program supports undergraduates doing hands-on research in OSU’s research laboratories. Conner, working in the OSU Radiation Physics with Dr. Eric Benton, will be developing an instrument called a Gerdien Tube, used to measure the density of ions present in air. He will then use this instrument to investigate changes in atmospheric ion density as it relates to thunderstorms and the strong electric fields associated with thunderstorms. Conner plants to have his first instrument ready for use by the beginning of the Spring 2021 thunderstorm season.