Michael MacDonald

Estrella Mountain College
iphoto@cox.net;

Hi my name is Mike Macdonald and I’m currently a student at Estrella Mountain Community College in Avondale, Arizona.
I’ll be transferring to Arizona State University in the fall of 2006 to begin my third year towards a degree in either mechanical engineering or physics.
I’m really excited about this REU opportunity and I’m hopeful it will guide me toward making a final decision on a major area of study. .

My interest in astrophysics stems from taking an introductory course in Astronomy at my college taught by Dr. Dwain Desbien.
Dwain, as he prefers to be called, makes the information very animated and I began to recognize the many relationships between cosmology, astrophysics, particle physics, mathematics, and the other sciences! >BR> Although I was planning to obtain a degree in engineering, physics really interests me because it employs major elements of engineering in pursuit of a better understanding of the universe!  

Although school takes up much of my time, my other interests are road bicycling, hiking, fishing, and photography.
Arizona’s diverse terrain and weather offer many opportunities to pursue these activities year round.

.