My name is Van Blackwood. I have a background in chemistry and
geochemistry. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering
at Colorado School of Mines. My emphasis is combustion physics. I
currently study flame structures and will eventually characterize coal
and biomass combustion products. I also build and automate analytical
instrumentation.
Other interests include boar hunting in Louisiana, trout fishing, snow
and water skiing, bicycle building and riding, hiking, boating, and
training my dog Fuzz.
James Howard - I am a third year doctoral candidate student in the Computer
Science department. My area of specialization is related to problems of
statistical machine learning. Specifically, I am trying to make a predictive model
of human behavior given a generic environment and set of sensors. When not
in school, I enjoy working on absurd do it yourself style projects that
typically take far longer to complete than rational estimation would dictate.
Michael Lukacovic - I am a first year fellow and am starting my masters
work in the Physics department. I have a BS in Engineering Physics from
the Colorado School of Mines. My research interests are in condensed matter
physics. Specifically I am interested in semi-conductors, especially as
they apply to photovoltaics. I am interested in the GK-12 program because
one possible career that I have considered is teaching. This program will
give me an opportunity to discover if this is in fact something that would
be a fulfilling, enjoyable career for me. I feel like this experience in the
classroom will be a rewarding and invaluable one. I am working with
Jennifer Rahn at Mrachek Middle School teaching seventh grade mathematics.
Christie O'Hara - I graduated with high honors from the University of California
Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Sciences. I am
currently a graduate student at the Colorado School of Mines pursuing a
Masters degree in Mathematics with a planned goal of a PhD. The study
of Mathematics & Science is the study of our living universe.
The spectrum of math and science ranges from the explanation of the
smallest organisms to the symbolic logical arguments of mathematics. As
a society we are striving to learn about this spectrum and apply it to
our living world.. Thus, it is important that we start to engage
children in the understanding of these two disciplines.
My name is Joe Schneiderwind. I am going into the Masters program in
Computational and Applied Mathematics. I really enjoy math and
especially its applications. That is the reason that I received a
Bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics: physics is (in my mind)
mathematics applied to real situations. My employment goals simply
include using the science and math knowledge that I have obtained in
order to computationally model and simulate difficult processes and
ideas that cannot be easily observed otherwise. The reason that I am
involved in the GK-12 program is that I would really like to promote my
passion and love for both math and science; if I can get just a few
kids to enjoy math and science as I do, I will consider it a success.
I am Sean Studer. I grew up in Pismo Beach California, and graduated from Arroyo
Grande High School. I always loved math and science and knew I wanted
to be an engineer. I came out to Colorado School of Mines to purse that
dream. I have just completed my undergraduate studies in Engineering
Physics, while also participating and lettering three times on the
Mines wrestling team. I am currently pursing a master’s
degree in Metallurgy. I am working under Dr. Ryan O’Hayre and
doing research to measure the efficiency of the Pt-Ru catalyst of
nitrogen doped direct methanol fuel cells.
My name is Adrian Weaver and I am a second year masters student at the Colorado
School of Mines. My research interests are related to ground water
exploration and the development of water systems. I am currently
working on a project where we are using geophysical
techniques to find a groundwater source for a small village in
Honduras. When I am not doing school work, I like to go climbing,
mountain biking, skiing or almost anything else outside. This is my
first year in the GK-12 Fellowship program and I am excited to work
with the kids.
