Tina Dey
Hello! My name is Tina Dey and I’m a first-year student at the University of Washington. I grew up in India and moved to Bellevue WA right before high school. My love for astronomy began with movies about extraterrestrial life, and over time it has grown into a genuine passion. I plan to major in data science with a minor in earth and space sciences, and I’m especially interested in learning how to integrate coding with astronomy. In my free time I enjoy crocheting, playing basketball, working out, and visual journaling.
Aidan Hawkins
Hi, my name is Aidan Hawkins. I’m from Orange County, California, and I’m currently a second-year student at the University of Washington, double-majoring in Astronomy and Mechanical Engineering. My passion for astrophysics and rocketry began at a young age. One of my earliest memories is being introduced to the planet Saturn and learning about the space shuttles, which sparked a lifelong fascination with space. Over the years, that initial curiosity has grown into a strong commitment to exploring how we understand the universe and how we design the technology to reach it. In the future, I hope to contribute to astronomy research and eventually work on projects that push the boundaries of space exploration. I’m excited that Pre-MAP will give me the foundation and guidance to begin this journey.
Tamanpreet Kaur
Hey Hey! My name is Tamanpreet Kaur, and I am a first-year student from Kent, Washington. I am currently a pre-science major, but I’m considering studying engineering. I joined Pre-Map to explore and learn more about research in astronomy using technology. What inspired me to get into astronomy was the movie Interstellar (including Matthew McConaughey). Outside of school, I love staying active! I love going to the gym, playing tennis, dancing, and trying out new activities. I’m looking forward to making new connections and learning cool skills!
Soren Logghe
Hi, my name is Soren Logghe, and I am a second year here at the University of Washington. I am from Seabeck, Washington, and am hoping to major in both Physics and Astronomy. I enjoy learning about space in my free time, particularly spectroscopy, black holes, and dark matter. I am excited to become more involved in future research and opportunities around campus! Outside of classes, I enjoy snowboarding, skiing, hiking, reading, and playing guitar.
Marcus Neville
Hello, my name is Marcus Neville. I am from the east side of WA, Pullman (middle of nowhere, really). I am a sophomore here at UW, and I am double-majoring in Astronomy and Physics. My reason for such is simply everything that is not of this earth, don’t get me wrong, I love my planet, but something about the stars and everything we do not have answers for just intrigues me. If you ever see me around,shoot me a shaka if you know what I mean.
Ramya Sridharan
Hi my name is Ramya! I’m a sophomore at UW from Issaquah, Washington and I’m intending to major in Astronomy and Applied Physics. I first got interested in science through my parents since they would often bring up cool physics and science facts (I remember my mom trying to explain the speed of light over dinner once). Space, stars and galaxies have always fascinated me and I want to take the opportunity to learn more about them. Outside of school I enjoy hanging out with my friends, playing piano, drawing and archery.
Avery Wolf
Hello! My name is Avery Wolf, I’m a first year and I’m currently majoring in earth and space sciences. In the future, my goal is to study astrobiology and do research science! I found my love for outer space from my parents, who would always tell me stories about our galaxy. I’m super excited and grateful to be in this program and I can’t wait to see where this path takes me!
Jinshuo Zhang
Hi everyone – my name is Jinshuo Zhang, and I’m a junior at UW majoring in Comprehensive Physics and Astronomy. I’ve been passionate about astronomy since I was very young, and my current research focuses on asteroids, comets, and small body dynamics, especially active asteroids and interstellar objects. I really enjoy combining observations with orbital simulations to study their behavior, and I’ve also become skilled at using N-body integrations and transit timing variations (TTVs) in my work. Outside of academics, I enjoy doing science outreach, traveling, playing chess, and hanging out with friends. I’m looking forward to learning with you all in this course!
Micah Kaczynski
Hello! My name is Micah Kaczynski, and this is my first year at the University of Washington. I intend on pursuing Comprehensive Physics, Astronomy, and studying Mathematics on the side. I had previous endeavors to become an Astronaut, but after realizing my curiosity lies beyond where Astronauts can currently visit, Astronomy and Astrophysics became my top priority. In spare time, I enjoy singing, gaming, and learning about other fields of science. I look forward to learning how programming and research are related to each other!
Jessica Lemus
Hello! My name is Jessica, and I’m a first year student from Miami, Florida, planning to major in Comprehensive Physics and Astronomy. I was always interested in stargazing and discovering interesting entities in our skies as a kid, but I never gained an interest in astrophysics until high school when I first took a physics class. I had already been watching entities within our vicinity as a kid, so I became curious about entities outside of our solar system. Outside of university, I enjoy singing, sudoku, theater/acting, and being part of filmmaking.
Jessica Mattsen
Hi there! My name is Jessica, and I am going to double major in Physics and Astronomy, with a minor in Geophysics. I am from Puyallup, Washington! I have always been super interested in astronomy, and have obtained an Associate’s Degree in Physics from Pierce College. Outside of class, I am a member of the Society of Physics Students RSO, as well as Physics of Underrepresented Genders (PUGS)! I love reading, hanging out with my friends, and even building LEGO!
Tri Lam
Greetings, my name is Tri. I’m a first-year from Wichita, Kansas, hoping to pursue a double major in Astronomy/Physics and potentially a minor in Marine Biology. I enjoy astronomy because I see it as the ultimate challenge: humans trying to understand something that seems so out of reach in both scale and complexity. Outside of academics, I enjoy reading physics books, playing badminton, practicing viola, and making stupid jokes.
Maren Wilson
Hi! My Name is Maren and I’m from Fairfax Virginia. I’m a first year student hoping to major in Astronomy and Physics. I’ve always been into Astronomy, but have become interested over the years. In high school I loved spending time study astronomy for Science Olympiad and watching cool physics videos. I think Pre-Map is going to make a great introduction into the field of Astronomy and I’m super excited to participate this quarter.