Officer Board 2014-2015

Abigail K Iturra, Co-President
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A second year studying Physics and Philosophy. I co-founded SESB with Gary Li (now graduated and at UCLA) during my first year when noticing the absense of a space or astro student group on the Berkeley campus. My hope is to bring together anyone with a similar passion and love for space that I have had growing up. My interest especially grew when immersing myself in the Mass Effect video game series and while watching the Battlestar Galactica television seasons. NOVA and Science Channel documentaries introduced me to a more academic (and annoyingly realistic) approach to space exploration, yet they did not remove my wonder, rather, they intensified it. On my spare time, I volunteer at the BSFC, help garden at SOGA, go on runs/hikes, and talk to others about the importance of space exploration as well as a vegan lifestyle. :)
MacCallum Robertson, Co-President
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I’m a 2nd year Physics/Applied math major. I work at LBNL at the Center for X-ray Optics researching methods of determining orbital-spin magnetic moment ratios from spatial resolution images of magnetic domains. I also work in the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search group on campus performing calculations determining microwave loss of superconducting resonators due to quantum vortices. Research aside, I enjoy drawing, running, cooking (especially baking), and play ultimate Frisbee on the Cal team. Also I love Dr.Who, so if you’re a Whovian you get bonus points. I’m really excited to be the new co-president of SESB and hope to help make this year memorable. If you have any questions about SESB, want to hangout, watch Dr.Who, or just throw a disc around then get in touch with me!
Joe Zalesky, Vice President
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I’m a 2nd year Physics/Applied math major. I work at LBNL at the Center for X-ray Optics researching methods of determining orbital-spin magnetic moment ratios from spatial resolution images of magnetic domains. I also work in the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search group on campus performing calculations determining microwave loss of superconducting resonators due to quantum vortices. Research aside, I enjoy drawing, running, cooking (especially baking), and play ultimate Frisbee on the Cal team. Also I love Dr.Who, so if you’re a Whovian you get bonus points. I’m really excited to be the new co-president of SESB and hope to help make this year memorable. If you have any questions about SESB, want to hangout, watch Dr.Who, or just throw a disc around then get in touch with me!
Malena Rice, Treasurer
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I am a sophomore double majoring in Physics and Astrophysics, and I am originally from Simi Valley, California. I only recently became exposed to astronomy as an academic subject, but I am very excited to become more involved in it! My sense of awe with respect to the universe only grows as I continue to learn about it. Outside of the academic realm, I am a flutist in the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, and I am a huge Disney fan! In my free time, I enjoy arts and crafts, dance, reading, hiking, volunteering as a music tutor, and eating bread.
Christopher Agostino, Secretary
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Sophomore studying Astronomy and Physics. Originally from South Bend, Indiana. Past research in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy involving the effects of heating on gold with various organic molecules and currently researching various effects on magnetic domains in thin films in the Spin Polarized Low Energy Electron Microscope Lab at Lawrence Berkeley. I like to play soccer, guitar, and would like to snowboard more if I could.
Michael Hill, Webmaster
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Senior studying Earth & Planetary Science. Communications assistant at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for the Environmental Energy Technologies Division. Originally from San Diego. Past research experience in eclipsing binary stars and transiting exoplanets. Loves dogs, Kepler, and jazz.
Nick Lo, Historian
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Hi there! I’m currently a sophomore (not Suffermore~~~) majoring in physics and astrophysics. Like most of other members in SESB, I have been curious about our universe since I was kid. Basically I grew up with encyclopedias and Discovery Channels and I always feel the strong drive to explore the unknowns around me. As a human being, although I don’t know what the existence of me beyond life, I really want to know why I exist, why this universe exist, is there a beginning and an end of our universe. Besides science, I’m also a movie freak.
Kelly Backes, Public Relations
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Junior studying physics and sleeping in weird places at weird times. I work on the Axion Dark Matter Experiment and spend a lot of time working at Laurence Livermore National Labs. I’ve been interested in space and its exploration pretty much since birth (thanks to growing up near Jet Propulsion Laboratory). When I was little every time someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say that I wanted to be the first person to walk on Mars, and I still think that would be a solid career choice. I also enjoy naps and laser pointers which often makes me wonder: am I a physics student or a cat?
Megan Allen, Outreach
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Ray Chen, Project Coordinator
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Freshman studying Mechanical Engineering. Originally from Palo Alto, California. Currently working in San Francisco manufacturing and automation startup, Plethora. Participated in FIRST Robotics. I CAD, play guitar, and am a huge SpaceX and NASA geek.
Li Yu, Project Coordinator
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Hey Guys! I’m currently a sophomore Comp Sci major and Mech Engi minor. I’m hoping to have a focus on robotics and artificial intelligence! Going to build myself an Ironman suit obviously. I’ve always been fascinated with space: space ships, space travel, space colonization, etc.. (Si-Fi tends to make me too excited about space). I can’t wait to start working on some amazing projects, who knows, maybe we will create the next big thing. So hurry up and join us!
Carlin Liao, Corporate Liaison
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Sophomore studying Astrophysics, Statistics, and Business who'll pick two out of three later. Originally from Orange County, California. Has a diverse set of interests, including journalism, working for the Daily Californian as a copy editor, and public policy, as both a former ASUC Senator's staff member and intern in Green Chemistry and Industry Member Programs at the American Chemical Society in Washington, DC. Free time consists of a lot of fiction writing and pondering the role of the American government.
Lavanya Jawaharlal, ASUC Liaison
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William Tokumaru, SPS Liaison
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Junior Physics Major and History Minor. Researcher in Atomic/Molecular/Optical Physics. Interest in nonacademics subject directly proportional to intellectual content.

Faculty Advisor

Gibor Basri, Professor of Astronomy
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