http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_32015740?source=AP

LOWELL -- Virtually every inch of the whiteboard in Archana Kamal's office at UMass Lowell is full of handwritten formulas and calculations, so much so that when Kamal stands up to draw an explanatory diagram, she has to erase one section to open up a spot.

The drawing helps when Kamal, a physics professor, has to explain one of the most common challenges in quantum physics and her research about possible solutions for guests who, unlike her, do not hold a Ph.D. It works, too: Kamal's ability to communicate complex topics in an approachable way is immediately apparent.