Eun-Jung Rhee, 27, a Hopkins graduate student who was beloved by friends, family and colleagues alike, died Jan. 10 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident on Dec. 28, 2006.
Rhee had been traveling in Florida with her sister, Eun Soo, a student at the University of Florida, and her mother Ju Hyun Yoon. Rhee's mother was also killed in the accident, which occurred on the Florida Turnpike near Miami at 1:30 p.m.
Rhee was a theoretical-particle physicist studying under Professor David Kaplan. In 2006 she was awarded the Department of Physics and Astronomy's Rowland Prize for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching. Graduate students in her department have suggested naming the award in her memory.
"I thought it was an inspired idea, especially given the fact that EJ had won the award just last spring. She was a popular - -- and effective -- teaching assistant in undergraduate courses," Jonathan Bagger, chair of the department of physics and astronomy, said.
Rhee was successful in her academic work, studying new possible decays of the Higgs particle in supersymmetric theories. The title of her first paper with Kaplan was "Reduced fine-tuning in supersymmetry with R-parity violation."
"By the end of our first project, she was editing my writing -- making it more succinct and to the point," Kaplan said.
Rhee's friends describe her as warm and lovely to the people around her, and intelligent and responsible in her work.
"One day, I asked her if she `really' wanted to be a physicist and she immediately answered, `Yes, it's been my dream since I was young.' I was very proud of her pursuing her dream very successfully," Kiju Lee, a close friend of Rhee's, said.
"She was a wonderful person. She was very easy-going and had a great sense of humor," said Andrew Blechman, another friend and colleague of Rhee's.
Rhee's colleagues recognized how she brought her personality to the classroom, enabling her to be a successful teacher.
"She had a lot of students coming to her, and she was always ready to help them out, explaining things several times if necessary, showing tremendous patience and care," Blechman said.
Rhee had many other pleasures outside of academics.
"She enjoyed taking photos with her camera and drinking wine. Above all other things, she loved cooking. She always tried new recipes and sometimes called me to taste them," Lee recalled.
"She seemed to have many interests in life -- she was an amateur photographer and hoped to be a filmmaker later in life. She loved to travel," Kaplan said.
A memorial in Rhee's honor will be held on Sat., Jan. 21, at 10 a.m. at the Bunting-Meyerhoff Interfaith Center.
