Edward Charles I never really gaze up for more than 15 minutes at a time, But I have always wondered how things work. Since I've lived in Alaska, there have been many nights where the sky is perfectly unlit and allows for some spectacular viewing. I'm more into the technical side of things, particularly optics and communications. Maybe I can design some sort of telescope in space? I'm into anything as long as it runs on Mac or Unix.

Jeanne McKeever My name is Jeanne, and I'm from Marysville, Washington. I have lived here my entire life. This is my first year here at the University of Washington. I love the natural sciencs and I love to look at the stars. My favorite thing to do, besides learning astronomy, is ballroom dancing and soccer. I've been doing both for over ten years now. I like music and will listen to almost anything. I love to read, and just about anything will catch my interest. I am totally excited about Pre-MAP, and can't wait for the research that we get to do.

Lauren Pope I have always been interested in astronomy, since I was a little kid I'd stay up late stargazing every time my family went camping. I hope to major in physics and astronomy because I want to know how everything works and why the universe is the way that it is. Washington has always been my home, but cloudy skies can be just as fascinating as clear ones. Pre-MAP is very exciting for me to be in, I see it as a jump start on my future career in astronomy. My other interests are geology, biology, music, and food.

Samir Rajani I became interested in astronomy during elementary school after reading kids' books about planets. My curiosity of the cosmos grew as the years went by, but I never had a chance to learn more about the stars. Now that I am attending the University of Washington and am in Pre-MAP I have been able to study the heavens just like I have always wanted.

Joel Leigh After being a bartender, a firefighter, an office assistant, working in a warehouse, a factory, a hotel, a recording studio, a hospital, several restaurants, building boats, being a math tutor, working construction, and being a pizza guy, as well as majoring in (at one point or another) English, philosophy, political science and history, it seems life has taken me in a new direction. It's been an interest of mine for my entire life and now its time to finally do what I have wanted to all along...play guitar in a Guns 'N Roses cover band! No just kidding really it's Astrophysics. Likes: Music, Snowboarding, Beer. Dislikes: Personal Bios, Oligarchy.

Monica Huang Occasionally known by her birth name 'Monica', this toasty flatworm likes to type in Dvorak and is slowly, but surely, learning Morse code. She operates the cello, guitar, and piano, and plays a dual-boot Windows/Linux machine. She also paints websites and codes portraits when the fancy strikes her. When it rains, she rescues worms from the sidewalks and returns them to their natural habitat, which is what she occupied herself with in freshman PE when they were supposed to be running two miles. Her roommate thinks that Monica is of alien heritage, citing her long fingers and crazy dreams as evidence. She has been losing things and sometimes finding them again lately. Only sometimes.

Deborah Tugaga My parents named me Deborah Tugaga on December 24, 1988. Born in American Saomoa, lived in Hawaii for a few months, then moved to Washington State and embraced the rain. My priorities are God, my lovely and awesome family, adorable friends, and acquaintances/future friends. I love being a Seventh-Day Adventist and praising God. I love to surround myself with my family and close friends because they bring me joy and great happiness! I can act goofy, stupid, mean, and sweet and they'll still love me! I love to read, listen to music, attempt writing poetry, write, talk, walking in the rain, staring at thunderstorms, driving, enjoying nature, talking to God, fighting with siblings, having serious conversations with parents, going to church, working out, singing, eating, and sleeping!

Ivan Huang Hi, I'm Ivan. I'm Asian. I'm a freshman. I think that's enough for background. Do you believe that 1+1=3? It can't be true? Nothing is impossible unless you can prove it wrong and this is one of my mottos. I hold the same belief for aliens and UFOs. I'm fascinated by the borderless universe and the endless discoveries of the space. It's interesting to see a star forms, but you know what's more interesting to see? It's a dying star, because it's even more beautiful (you can look it up on Google). What is my goal in this course? I really want to discover a new star and name it to Ivan, so, I can secure a place for myself when the earth really has to explode because of "global warming". I know this is going to be fun and hope you will enjoy it too.