by Bryan Wendell

Flora Beleznay ’25 was born in the U.S. but spent her summers in Hungary. She remembers meals with extended family, water polo matches on TV and rousing discussions about physics.

Pretty much everyone on Beleznay’s father’s side is a physicist, including her grandmother.

“For her to be in such a vigorous scholastic field and pursue it amid the struggles of being female is really what influenced me to pursue this major,” Beleznay says.

For as long as she can remember, Beleznay has been fascinated by physics, which at its heart is a study of the universe.

“I remember going back home to my dad and saying, ‘Look what I learned in school,’ ” Beleznay says. “And he said, ‘If you think that’s cool, just wait until I show you what I can do.’ ”

At Bucknell, Beleznay was picked for the STEM Scholars program, which invites select first-year students to start their Bucknell experience early, living on campus and conducting research.

“We would have great conversations,” Beleznay says. “It was nice to have a relatable group.”

Back in Hungary, Beleznay’s grandmother is “over the moon,” Beleznay says.

“She’s very proud of me because it’s not easy,” she says. “It’s still not easy being a woman physicist.”