Home Institution: Carleton College
Research Project: The MuSun Experiment
UW Mentor(s): Peter Kammel

Q: What are your physics/science interests?
A: I am very interested in astrophysics, in particular in the formation of the universe and the first stars and galaxies. I am interested in both the physics behind these phenomena and the instrumentation required to study them.

Q: What are your other interests?
A: I love to read, bake, and spend lots of time at my school's observatory. Whether I am helping with an open house, running the local high school's astronomy club, or just observing/imaging for fun with friends, if it is a clear night, I'll probably be in the observatory.

Q: What would you like to do after college?
A: After college, I would like to attend graduate school and then probably go on to a career in industry.

Q: Tell us one strange but interesting fact about yourself.
A: I have very flexible wrists (I can easily bend them in half with no pain). I never realized this until this past fall, when I was at a restaurant with some friends, and one my friends commented on it and thought that it was really weird.

Q: What first sparked your interest in Physics?
A: From the earliest times I can remember, I've always loved the stars. When I was little and we were somewhere near a planetarium, my parents would always make sure to take me as a special treat. In high school, I took physics my junior year and loved how it explained varying phenomenon that I'd previously observed and it made me want to continue my physics education.

Q: If you could have any pet what would it be?
A: If I could have any pet, I would want to have a pet dolphin.

Q: If you had a free month and unlimited funds, how would you spend your time?
A: In this situation I would want to go back to Madagascar and visit my 3 host families from when I studied abroad there, as well as take a trip to the ISS.

Q: If you could get a grant to study anything what would it be?
A: I don't know exactly what I would study with a grant, but it would probably be something on the interface of astrophysics and nuclear physics that had a nice blend of theory and hands-on work.