Georgi Chunev

ManchesterCollege

I started as a kid in the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. My mother, who was working as an engineer at the time, and my father, who was deputy head of three laboratories at Bulgaria’s larges site for uranium extraction (Buhovo) had just received the opportunity to purchase from the state a new apartment for our family. I do not have many memories of those days, but I do remember how I met my best friend, Rangel – the neighbor’s kid. We have been friends for almost 20 years now, and the fact that meeting each other is our earliest memory in life is something that we cherish. .

Both of us seemed to be attracted to mathematics from early age. In 1998 Rangel even got accepted to the National High School of Mathematics and Science – an institution that early sends Bulgarian science students to American Ivy league universities. Unfortunately, I was not as good as him in science, so I had to attend a more regular High School – 79th HS “Indira Gandhi”. Still, I did concentrate on studying mathematics and computer science, as well as I enrolled in a preparatory year in English, which meant that most of my 8th grade courses were to be English language classes. That, as well as my aunt’s unreserved financial support, allowed me to pursue my ambitions in studying science in the West.
 

After having lived in Florida in the winter of 1991-1992, I returned to the US as an ambitious student 12 years later, in 2004. I got a fair scholarship from a small-town liberal arts college in northern Indiana, where, for the last three years, I have been gathering experience in anything I can get my mind on. I started as a computer science major, but soon I learned that the US system allows me to include extra majors. I immediately started taking more mathematics, as I was both used to the subject, and I expected it to be least dependent on my English language skills. I was also tricked into taking physics by a friend of mine who, despite being a computer science major at our college, had studied 2 years of physics at Dhaka University, while waiting for the US to issue him an F-1 visa. I had not taken physics for a year, and I enrolled in General Physics with much fear. Even though both me and my Bangladeshi fried got C’s in the course, I did not give up. I took the healthy decision not to stop taking Physics, but to stop taking Physics with my friend Tapash. My improved strategy got me a B in the next physics course I took (Electronics), and A’s in all subsequent courses.
 

Within a year, or so, I found myself actively interacting with our physics staff, who turned out to be very open and friendly people, always supportive of their students. It was not long until I began my involvement with actual research by receiving a summer internship position at our department. I was lucky to work with Prof. Christer Watson, as he opened a new door for me – Astronomy. My research had good results, and I got to present them in Seattle. As I am still planning to possibly pursue a computer science carrier, there is a chance that this summer will be my last opportunity to work within the exciting field of Astronomy. Thus, I anticipate the experience. Actually, I already feel some sort of nostalgia as I write that paragraph. Well, we will see what happens next year… In the mean time, tell Wyoming that I am coming, and that I can’t wait to make friends there.
 

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