Meet Our Seniors: Class of 2020

We asked our seniors to share their thoughts and memories of being a Denisonian in the Physics & Astronomy Department. Here is what they said:

Matthew Bartlett ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics major, computer science & astronomy minor

Hometown: Ashburn, Virginia

Favorite Quote: “No.” – Someone, somewhere, sometime

Greatest Challenge: Starting my research project on relativistic jets and black holes for the physics department was a difficult challenge I managed to overcome.

Best Memory: My most fond memories come from the field trip to Costa Rica with fellow students for the Denison Seminar Soccer class.

Christopher Broyles ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics major, computational science concentration

Hometown: Prairie Village, Kansas

Favorite Quote: “One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries to comprehend only a little of this mystery every day.” – Albert Einstein

Favorite Memory: Dr. Doty’s planetarium show last year.

Anything else you want us to know: e^i*Pi + 1 = 0, the most beautiful mathematical equivalence

Ben Carter ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics major, mathematics minor

Hometown: Saint Joseph, Michigan

Favorite Quote: “It’s very hard to imagine all the crazy things that things really are…” – Richard Feynman

Greatest Challenge: I thought my research was very difficult at first, but after a while, it felt like building Legos as a kid.

Best Memory: Every one of the funny interactions I’ve had with professors while they’re teaching.

Anything else you want us to know: Mathematics is a human’s guide to the universe.

Kornel Mankovich ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics major

Hometown: Andover, Massachusetts

Greatest Challenge: Skyscraper problem

Tran Anh Nguyen ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics major, chemistry and (hopefully) astronomy minor

Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Favorite Quote: “I’m gonna start actually reading the textbook this year.” - 2017, 2018, and 2019 Me.

Greatest Challenge: Hopefully my last semester at Denison.

Best Memory: Switching my major to Physics.

Miranda Perez ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics major, computer science concentration

Hometown: Pomona, California

Favorite Quote: “There’s the known and the unknown, and in between are the doors.” – Jim Morrison

Greatest Challenge: I never thought I could write a 20-page paper on nuclear fusion, but adding pictures into it sure did help.

Best Memory: Messing around with circuits and electronics and getting college credit for it.

Michael Rauen ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics major

Hometown: Advance, North Carolina

Favorite Quote: “Everything is a simple harmonic oscillator.” – Every Physics Professor

Best Memory: Being a part of the 2018 NCAC Football Champions Denison Big Red football team.

Greatest Challenge: Keeping my merit scholarship.

Anything else you’d like us to know: Don’t stress too much; take the time to learn and the rest will come later.

Colin Smith ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics & computer science major

Hometown: Bartlett, Illinois

Favorite Quote: “Space is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly hugely mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that’s just peanuts to space.” – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Best Memory: Watching weird movies with friends late at night when I should be after doing my homework.

Greatest Challenge: Magnets! How do they work?

Ange Sommerer ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics major, astronomy minor

Hometown: Ballston Spa, New York

Favorite Quote: Doty’s steps to an exam problem: “Draw a picture and know something.” – Dr. Doty

Best Memory: Doing department paintball during summer research, especially the part where my research advisor sniped me between the eyes (thanks, Doty).

Anything else you’d like us to know: Take advantage of your professors and research opportunities as much as possible.

Alswell Tulasi ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics major, German minor

Hometown: Worcester, Massachusetts

Favorite Quote: “If the answer to a homework problem fits on a single page, chances are it is INCORRECT.” – Alswell Tulasi

Best Memory: Completing the Skyscraper problem at…well the time doesn’t matter.

Greatest Challenge: Math Methods was challenging in the beginning just as it was at the end.

Anything else you’d like us to know: Four years in Olin prepares anyone for any challenge anywhere unless it’s a physics problem, then you have to come back to Olin.

Robert (Bebe) Wang ’20

Major/Minor:

Physics major, mathematics minor, computational science concentration

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois

Favorite Quote: “The price of excellence is discipline. The cost of mediocrity is disappointment.” – William Arthur Ward

Greatest Challenge: The entirety of the physics major

Best Memory: Being part of the Swimming & Diving NCAA championship team

Anything else you want us to know: Anything that’s worthwhile in life will be hard to achieve and the path to your goals will always be filled with adversity. But keep at it because there’s no better feeling then finally making it. Keep the end in mind, but always live in the moment.