Prize Recipient

James Silva

Background:

I was born in Hollywood, California on May 31,1986. I grew up in East Los Angeles where I attended Abraham Lincoln High School but I began to be attracted to science as a corollary to mathematics due to the fact that LAUSD curriculum for the first 7 to 8 grades contains little science material. At Lincoln High School I found that the science curriculum was richer and I became interested in Chemistry and Physics. About this time I stumbled upon a book on Richard Feynman and I became intrigued at how different he was from my preconceived notion of who a physicist was. Feynman was vibrant and energetic; he lived life with a passion. I felt like I could relate to Feynman and could only hope to become as accomplished as him. I started to self-study Calculus and became part of a chemistry research program at California State University, Los Angeles. I learned how research was conducted in academia and realized that it was something that I could pursue for the rest of my life. I am attending MIT in the fall where I plan to major in physics and hope to be involved in a few Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program projects.

I also enjoy skateboarding which has been a continuous part of my life for the last 9 years. Skateboarding allows me to take a break from the academic side of my life and just relax. The occasional injury while skateboarding is also a cathartic. I am a big fan of many different types of music. Music I enjoy include Guns N Roses, Beethoven, Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and The Cure. I collect Vinyl records of 80s punk bands, and play guitar.