Author: will.177

Meet the 23-24 eBoard!

President Maya Legersky (they / them)

Junior
2nd year eBoard
Astronomy & Physics Major

 

Hi everyone! 🙂 I’m Maya, Astro Society’s president! Last year, I was the VP of IDR and am very excited to continue being involved with such a great organization! I have always loved space, and Astro Society has become the perfect place to meet the coolest people with similar interests!

This year, I look forward to meeting everyone and growing our member base as well as hosting an awesome Greenbank trip, which has always been my favorite event! 

Outside of Astro Society, I am also a member of SPS, Musician’s Collective, Ohio Youth for Climate Justice, and I do vocals for my new hardcore punk band, Severed Legs! I also love listening to music, going to shows, playing D&D, stargazing, and drawing!

If you ever have any questions or just want to talk, feel free to reach out to me anytime! 

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Vice President of  Events Austin Roush (he / him)

Sophomore
1st year eBoard
Astronomy Major

 

Hi, I’m Austin, and I am the Vice President of Events. I’ve been fascinated by space and astronomy my entire life, and through this club I decided I wanted to be an astronomy major.

I loved Astro Society last year with the fun meetings and trips, especially Greenbank, so I decided to be on the eBoard this year. This is going to be a great year for Astro Society and I can’t wait for all the fun things we have planned. 

Outside of classes, I like getting out traveling and exploring. I’ve been to 44 states but I also love to explore around Columbus to find cool places to bike or find small book stores and game stores. If you’re interested in any of that or you just want to talk about astronomy, I’m more than happy to chat.

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Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity and Retention (IDR) Dasha Crocker (she / her)

Junior
1st year eBoard
Astronomy & Physics Major

 

Hello! My name is Dasha Crocker and I’m a third year astronomy and physics major and VP of Inclusion, Diversity and Retention . I joined Astro Society as a freshman and have been enjoying it ever since. I really like the community around this club and all of the amazing activities we do. 

As a part of Astro Society, I was able to explore my interests in astronomy and have fun along the way! Outside of this club, I’m involved with SPS and Taekwondo Club and enjoy hiking, camping and creative writing. I want to make this club inclusive and fun for everyone as it has been for me.

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Vice President of  Media Anthony Will (he / him)

Senior
1st year eBoard
Astronomy & Physics Major 🌌

 

Hey y’all! I’m Anthony, and I’ll be serving as your Vice President of Media this year! This means I do anything to spread the word about us and what we’re up to- social media, t-shirts, yelling into the void, you name it.

My interest in astronomy started from reading my grandpa’s old blueprints from when he used to work for NASA. This exploded into a love for the solar system, planetary science, looking for aliens and all things space! Outside of this club, I am also active in the Zenith Mentorship Program and Mountaineering Club, and I research in the MSE department studying optoelectronic superconductors and window layer application for solar panels. In my free time, you can catch me playing guitar, cooking (all vegetarian!), rock climbing, skateboarding, hiking, and just immersing myself in nature!

I have found so many great friends with a shared passion for the stars above in this club. I am passionate about astronomy outreach, and am so excited to use my role to bring the wonder of the universe to others. Can’t wait for another great year! ✨

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Secretary Alex Torres (he / him)

Sophomore
1st year eBoard
Astronomy & Physics Major, Math and Spanish Minor

 

Hey everybody! I’m Alex Torres, and I will be the secretary of Astro Society this year. With the assistance of the media committee (which you should definitely join!), I am in charge of the monthly newsletters, and you will likely see me relaying a lot of club information in the Discord and through email. Academically, I am very passionate about learning, and I am just generally curious about the universe and how it works (hence the physics and astronomy majors). Regardless of the topic or my experience with it, I am always excited to discuss something physics or astronomy related, so feel free to strike up a conversation with me anytime.
Before moving to Ohio when I was ten years old, I lived in Arizona where I was born. Most of my family lives in the Southwest, so I always take advantage of the dark skies and stargaze when I visit my relatives. In my free time I really enjoy running and longboarding, though I just enjoy being active and trying new things in general. Last year, I started casual rock climbing, and that has been a fun hobby to engage in every once in a while as a break from classes.
I am incredibly excited to be a part of the leadership of Astro Society this year, and I can’t wait to get to know all of the new members this year, so don’t be a stranger!

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Treasurer Swaraj Patnaik (he / him)

Junior
1st year eBoard
Astronomy & Physics Major, Math and Music Minor

 

My name is Swaraj Patnaik, and I think space is cool! This year, I’ll be the treasurer for Astro Society, a club I joined at the start of my sophomore year. I always said I wanted to be an astrophysicist when I was asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” But nowadays, my interests have expanded beyond STEM. I want to work in politics and use my skills and (hopefully) law degree to shape public policy. 

On campus, I am the Vice President of SPS (Society of Physics students, a physics general interest club); a peer mentor in ASC Honors, where I help teach freshman survey class and organize events for them; and, in spring 2023, I was in a research project with Dr. Schlingman and Dr. Leroy where we worked on mapping local galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

In my free time, I enjoy playing single–player video games and watching YouTube. I’m also a huge fan of Star Wars and Legos. Finally, I’ve been playing clarinets and saxophones for years now, so I’m passionate about that and getting a music minor.

Overall, I’m just happy to be involved in a club which has been nothing but fun and relaxing! Feel free to reach out if you want to know about anything I do, but I’m more than happy to chat!