I really enjoy Astronomy, both from the observational and scientific viewpoints. I love to sit outside on a cold night and just gaze at the stars, set up my telescope and "see what's out there," to quote from Star Trek. Then again, I also enjoy knowing what's out there. The science of astronomy itself fascinates me.

To that end, I'm the president of my school's Astronomy Group. We have about thirty members (some more active than others) and go out and observe regularly at Kopernik Observatory.

I'm also a member of my school's Science Olympiad Team. There, I anchor the event Reach for the Stars, where we compete to show off our knowledge of astronomy. If anything, though, being an anchor has taught be just how much difference there is between knowing a subject, and teaching it. Still, I think we'll be prepared.

My astronomy background also includes a course taken at the Center for Talented Youth (CTY), which covered the material on a college-level, and an one-credit Astronomy Lab course taken at Binghamton University to supplement what I learned at CTY.

Cool related links:
• The Vestal High School Astronomy Group
• The Kopernik Observatory
• The Center for Talented Youth
• Binghamton University