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Bio
I grew up in Bear River City, Utah. I went to school at Bear River High. I served a 2 year mission in Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. After that, I proceeded to pursue a BS and eventually a PhD in Physics at the University of Utah. I met my beautiful wife Jennifer there. We were married in 2000, and have been living happily ever since. We are the proud parents of a little girl, Katelyn Laura. She joined our family in Nov of 2009. We also have two cats, Oliver and Samantha.
Research
My specialty is High Energy Astrophysics. Specifically, I did research on cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are energetic particles that strike the upper atmosphere of the Earth. They have many sources and have been observed over a large range of energies. My research was based on the highest energy cosmic rays. I've put more information on that here.
Computers
Computers have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Our family started with a TRS 80, and since I have progressed through a number of different computers. My love for computers can be broken down into three basic categories: hardware, programming, and gaming.
In the hardware vein, I love building computers. By that, I mean getting the basic pieces and putting them together to make a new system. I've been a fan of overclocking and other hardware modifications for some time. This provides me with a great deal of joy and frustration. Nothing like getting a new heatsink and finding out that you are going to need to creatively modify your case to get it to fit. But it is something I enjoy.
As for programming, this is something I have been doing almost as long as I have been using computers. Our first computer did not come with any games. However, my family did receive a magazine once a month with small sample programs you could type in. Many of these were games. My parents were smart enough to tell me that if I wanted to play them, I had to type them in myself. It didn't take me long to realize that if I really didn't like the rules of the game, I could modify them by modifying the instructions I typed. Learning exactly how to modify them took a bit longer. That programming was all done in basic. My parents introduced me to Pascal with our first 80286, and I moved to C when Pascal no longer gave me the tools to do what I wanted too. From there I have focused mainly on C++, however I also have learned some Java and Fortran.
I also enjoy gaming. By that I mean all types. Of course work and a family does not leave as much time as I used to have, but I still enjoy the occasional game.
Astronomy
Along with computers and physics, my other hobby is armature astronomy. I own a small 90mm telescope that I use whenever I can. I plan on upgrading that as soon as I can. If you are interested in astronomy, you don't need a telescope though. There is nothing quite as satisfying as spending a night looking at the stars - even if it is just with your eyes. With so much of our night sky being washed out by city lights these days, I would suggest you enjoy them while you can.
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