Prize Recipient

Richard Molina, Jr.

Background:

My name is Richard Molina Jr, and I was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. I recently graduated from Saint Benedicts Preparatory School in Newark, NJ. I will be attending the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana in August 2006.

I was always a great math student. There was something about numbers I loved; however my interest in science only developed after watching several programs on The Science Channel and going to high school. My interest then switched from math to astronomy, because the physics teacher was an astronomer, and that enabled me to have conversations with someone who not only knew things, but had observed them. But then a magical thing happened: I was actually able to combine math and science together in my Calculus and Physics classes. This gave me a whole new perspective on Physics, a perspective I really enjoyed, and decided to pursue at the undergraduate level, and hopefully the graduate level as well. I would like to say thank you to the three teachers who really nourished and developed my interest in Physics: Michelle Tuorto, Jim Quinn, and Fr. Mark Payne. And thank you APS for providing me and other minorities with some assistance in the pursuit of our dreams.