BETH STAVELY ‘11 Flying, soaring, and winning
Elizabeth L. “Beth” Stavely ’11, who was named an All-American diver this year at the NCAA Division III championship, enjoys falling from great heights. Before coming to MIT, Beth completed a skydiving course and earned her “A” license, which allows her to jump from an airplane alone. She has also been honing her daredevil skills by taking classes at a trapeze school in Reading, Mass., since the summer. This love for falling and soaring through the air may have begun in her early years when she started gymnastics at age 4. A competitive gymnast since elementary school, Beth continued with the sport here at MIT.
SHAENA R. BERLIN ‘13 Sophomore competes in cycling and triathlon
Shaena R. Berlin ’13, a sophomore in Course 12, spends on average 15–20 hours per week training. As a member of the MIT Cycling team and the MIT Triathlon team, she spends most of her time training on her bike. Hailing from Jackson, Wyo., she was an active member of the cross-country and Nordic skiing teams in high school.
SCOTT T. LANDERS ’13 Duathlons, dynamics, and development
Meet Scott T. Landers ’13. When Scott isn’t busy tooling away at psets like the rest of us, he trains for — and competes in — duathlons and triathlons. In fact, Scott will be competing in both the Short Course and Long Course World Duathlon Championships this fall. But first, a short background.
ISAAC T. ENTZ ’11 Isaac T. Entz is up in the air
Isaac T. Entz ’11, a senior in Course 16, is currently taking the intense 2.007 (Design and Manufacturing I), yet still finds time to enjoy playing on the MIT Ultimate Frisbee team. Recollecting how he got so interested in Ultimate, Isaac explained, “I first learned to play after home football games at my high school. Half of the marching band would stick around after games to play, and that’s where I got my start. I didn’t play competitively in high school but did play pickup Ultimate with a quality group at the local college in town.”
ARIC J. DAMA ‘13 Course II sophomore Aric Dama reigns as one of MIT’s top pitchers
Starting pitcher Aric J. Dama ’13’s emergence as an ace on the Engineers’ roster has been one of the dominant stories of the 2011 MIT baseball season.
CURRAN Y. OI ‘13 Before MIT, a world-class figure skater Oi takes sixth place at US National Championships in 2008-2009 season
Nearly 10 years ago, Curran Y. Oi ’13 was picked to skate as a young Scott Hamilton in the Boston stop of Stars on Ice. Since then, he has placed sixth in the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, beating Olympic competitor Johnny Weir in the short program.
JAMES SERDY
Seventy-one-year-old James G. Serdy has been rowing with the MIT Rowing Club for the past four years. In addition to working at the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity, he wakes up to go rowing on the Charles from 6–8 a.m. every morning. James has “always been fascinated to watch the art of rowing,” he said.
ERIKA LEE ’12 The art of kicking people
Nearly 12 years ago, Erika Lee ’12 became infatuated with a “bad” martial arts movie and began training at a local taekwondo place near her home in California. Today, Lee boasts a second degree black belt, appearances in international competitions, and a love for electrical engineering and computer science. This senior is quite the star of the MIT Sport Taekwondo Club, and also serves as treasurer and instructor for the team this year.
ROBERT A. ‘BOBBY’ WEBER ’13 The Ultimate social glue
Robert A. “Bobby” Weber ’13, a junior in Course 15, plays cutter for the MIT Men’s Ultimate team. Passionate about the sport since his early years, Bobby started an Ultimate frisbee club in his high school and later played on a team that achieved second place at state competitions twice in a row. When he got to MIT, he was taken under the wing of former MIT Ultimate star Isaac T. Entz ’11, whom Bobby admires considerably. “If I had to describe our team in two words, it would be Isaac Entz. He is an inspiration to all of us and a true mentor.”
MOLLY E. MCSHANE ’13 McShane is ‘a little ’stitious’
Meet Molly E. McShane ’13. Molly started playing field hockey nine years ago as preparation for her high school’s highly competitive team. Having played many different sports growing up, field hockey must have come naturally to her because now, nine years later, she is the captain of the MIT Women’s Field Hockey team — currently tied for first in the NEWMAC conference and 13-3 overall this season.
LOGAN M. TRIMBLE ’13 Junior dominates in cross-country and track
Logan M. Trimble ’13 is a junior in Course 10B and a member of the MIT Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track teams. As an active sophomore last year, Trimble competed for MIT at the NCAA Division III Championship, in which his relay team earned All-American status. Later that year, Trimble won the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Award, demonstrating excellence in varsity sports as well as academics.
STEVE CHO ‘15: Prince of Squash
Sung Won (Steve) Cho ’15 is a freshman on the MIT Varsity Squash Team. After starting to play squash a couple of months before moving to the United States from South Korea in eighth grade, Steve went on to play for the Division I Groton High School Varsity Squash Team. He has excelled in some of the premiere squash competitions including the Massachusetts Junior Open and the New England Interscholastic Squash Association (NEISA) Individual Championships. Steve will most likely declare Course 7 (Biology) or Course 20 (Biological Engineering) by the end of this semester. The Tech sat down with Steve’s to discuss life as a student-athlete on the MIT Varsity Squash Team.
COLLEEN T. ROCK ’14: Rock dominates on and off the ice at MIT
A blood clot caused irreparable damage to Colleen’s spinal cord when she was just 11 years old, causing her to become paraplegic at a young age. She has, nevertheless, excelled tremendously in computer science, mathematics, and robotics and is a cheerful Course 6 sophomore in Alpha Chi Omega. Her secret, though: She’s been on the U.S. Women’s National Sled Hockey Team for over eight years. An extraordinary athlete and student, Colleen sat down with the The Tech explain more about her life at MIT and as a national athlete.
BRENDAN T. DEVENEY, ‘13: Swimming, startups, and electronic music
There is much more to junior Brendan T. Deveney than meets the eye. On the surface, he is merely a swimming phenomenon. Just a few weeks ago he helped lead the MIT Men’s Swimming Team to a fourth-place finish at the National Championships, placing 5th in the 200-yard individual medley. In an exclusive interview with the Tech, Deveny revealed that his talents in the pool are only the tip of the iceberg, and that he is an incredibly well-rounded individual.
CHARLES HSU ’14: Hsu does crew, viola, and course 7 research
Charles Hsu ’14 is a sophomore in Course 7 (Biology) who is on the MIT Varsity Heavyweight Crew Team. He enjoys creating things and aspires to become a surgeon. Charles was on the 2011 MIT IGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine competition) team that placed fourth out of over 150 international teams. He is also working on the Solarclave project, which won the 2011 MIT IDEAS and Global Challenge competitions. The Solarclave is a low-cost solar-powered autoclave designed to provide third-world rural clinics with a portable and reliable method of sterilization. He is currently working in the Weiss Lab on genetically engineering autonomously patterning tissues, and has also worked on microfluidics and high-speed photography of cell-printing. Charles balances his scientific interests with his passion for the viola. Not only does he play his viola for a chamber music group, but pursues the craft of violin making in his spare time.
ROBIN S. SHIN ’12: Shin named NE Conference Fencer of the Year
Meet Robin S. Shin ’12. When she isn’t busy tooling away in her architecture studio, she fences for the MIT Women’s varsity team. She was recently named the Northeast Conference Fencer of the Year, and placed 20th at the NCAA competition, where she was the only representative from Division III.
MITCHELL H. KATES ’13: Kates dominates the court as MIT point guard
Mitchell H. Kates ’13 is a Course 6-3 (Computer Science and Engineering) junior on the MIT Varsity Basketball Team who has been recognized for his stellar play on numerous occasions throughout high school and college. During high school, Kates won the Kerwin Award, awarded to the best player in the Shore Conference (New Jersey), broke the career assists record at Colts Neck High School, and received a gold medal on the National U-16 United States Maccabi Basketball Team in Israel in 2005. After coming to MIT, Kates became NEWMAC Rookie of the Year as a freshman, was selected to the NEWMAC all-conference team all three years, and was a 4th team All-American this year.
ETHAN E. PETERSON ’13: Talented athlete, engineer
Ethan E. Peterson ’13 is a Course 22 (Nuclear Science and Engineering) and Course 8 (Physics) senior on MIT Men’s Varsity Football. He has started on the MIT offensive line for the last three seasons and became co-captain last season. For his stellar play, he has received much recognition, including being selected for first team All-New England Football Conference. In fact, Ethan recently won the National Scholar-Athlete Award given by the National Football Foundation. This award selects 15 honorees out of the national pool of 147 semifinalists, who are selected from all divisions of college football for their academic prowess and their achievements on the field. Ethan is the sixth person in MIT Football history to receive this distinguished award.
EVANGELOS L. EFSTATHIOU ‘00: Assistant fencing coach heads to World Cup
Meet Evangelos L. Efstathiou ’00. When Evan isn’t traveling the world as a maritime software sales director, assistant coaching for the MIT Varsity Women’s and Men’s Fencing teams, or teaching his 5-year old daughter Katherine how to fence with foam swords, he is competing in the U.S. and International fencing circuits.
RYAN J. MADSON ‘13: Senior is MIT’s first four-time All-American wrestler
Ryan J. Madson ’13, co-captain of the MIT Wrestling team, made program history this season, becoming the first four-time All-American for MIT. He is currently ranked third overall in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association’s (NCWA) rankings, finishing seasons in fourth place as a freshman, second as a sophomore, third as a junior, and fourth in his final season.