My first Publication 1926874721_Alumni_Magazine_June_2010 | Page 12

Issue 3, June 2010
Short Interviews with Science Loving Alumni
We have asked several of our alumni about what caused their interest in science and how they are currently occupied with science.
Pavel Blagov – Class of 1998
My interest in science started in the sixth
and seventh grades and grew during
my time at ACS under the influence of
such teachers as Eric Chehab, Veneta
Rousseva, Peter Vassilev, and Iskra
Velinova. I knew for sure that I wanted to
become a scientist by the time I declared
my majors at Connecticut College.
I conducted and published my first
scientific work on the relationship
between personality and memory in
collaboration with Dr. Jefferson Singer at
Connecticut College and later continued
to study the classification of personality
pathology with Dr. Drew Westen at
Emory University.
Currently, I teach and conduct research
at Whitman College, where I established
the college’s first personality laboratory
in 2010. We currently have four members
and are just about to start our first major
data collection. As an applied clinical
scientist, I also see several clients in
psychotherapy at the college counseling
center.
Bogomil Shtarkalev – Class of 2006
Science and I go way back. As trivial as
it may sound, I fell in love with science
the moment I realised I’m actually good
at it. Around 6 th grade I started going to
physics olympiads and scoring relatively
high. Our strange relationship deepened
during my time at ACS. Against all
odds, I managed to wake up at some
ungodly hours and go to all the physics
competitions ACS students attended.
By 11 th grade I was already certain that
this would one day become my field of
expertise.
After I graduated from ACS, I went to
Jacobs University Bremen (International
University Bremen at that time) where
I did a 3-year course in Electrical and
Computer Engineering. I graduated last
June, and now I am a doing an MSc in
Signal Processing and Communications
(in simple words, it’s rocket science!)
at the University of Edinburgh. I will
graduate in November and hopefully
pursue a PhD somewhere in Europe for
the next 3-4 years. If everything goes
according to plan, in a couple of years
I’ll be a researcher and/or a university
lecturer. -University of California, Los Angeles -
Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
-University of California, San Diego -
Scripps Institute of Oceanography
Yavor Kostov - Class of 2005 In addition, I have submitted thesis in
Mathematics which was nominated by
the department for an Honors Award.
The topic of the project is, “A Delay
Differential Equation Model of the El
Nino Southern Oscillation”.
While analyzing the El Nino model,
it reminded me of one of the tasks of
IYPT 2005 – “Ocean Solaris”! And when
I had to make the oral presentation of
the project to the department, I decided
to show them the video with the heating
of the salt solution. The short movie
demonstrated the movement of the
inner waves between the two layers of
water with different density very well. In
front of the whole audience I explained
that we filmed this video with you, at my
high school, in the physics laboratory in
2005!
It is also our pleasure to write excerpts from
a message sent by Yavor Kostov – Class of
2005, to his teachers Mrs. Angelova and Mrs.
Chakarova. As Mrs. Chakarova wrote to
us, “While I was reading the letter of Yavor,
it made me so happy and proud that I could
not stop my tears from falling. Yavor was an
excellent student - especially in physics. He is
very capable and dedicated and he definitely
deserves recognition!”
“Dear Mrs.
Chakarova,
Angelova
and
Mrs.
I have great news! This semester I
will complete my course in Applied
Mathematics at Pomona College in
Claremont, California and I have
already been admitted to several Ph.
D. programs in the sphere of climat e.
These majors combine physics with
mathematics, and are related to the
fluid dynamics. As you know, I have
been interested in this topic ever
since the College! I have been offered
full scholarships for the following
universities:
- Princeton University - Atmospheric and
Oceanic Science (joint with the national
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) - Physics of Climate
- California Institute of Technology
(Caltech) - Environmental Engineering
- Columbia University - Earth and
Environmental Science
-University of Chicago – Geophysics
-University of Colorado at Boulder -
Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
10
Earlier this spring I visited some of
these universities - I was invited by the
professors who wanted to attract me to
their programs. I still haven’t decided
which university to choose.
One of the teachers not advising the
project showed a special interest in my
report and will probably include a part
of it in her textbook for differential
equations. In addition, one of the
Columbia University professors would
like to read my project. He has created
the most popular mathematical model of
El Nino.
I would like to express my deep gratitude
to you, Mrs. Chakarova and Mrs.
Angelova, for everything you have taught
me! I’ve received so much from you! The
amazing knowledge you gave me in class,
as well as during our preparation for the
international physics competition, is the
basis for my successes today. I wish you
a lot of health and happiness and I hope
all your current and future students will
bring you a lot of joy! “