John Casebolt
John Casebolt, an engineering physics and applied math major, came to Southeast as a result of a job-related accident, which left him with limited use of his left hand. The vocational rehabilitation program is training him for a new career. Casebolt, originally from Hindman, Ky., and wife, have lived in Scott City, Mo., for the last seventeen years. Casebolt recently shared some of his accomplishments while at Southeast as well as his future aspirations in an interview.
Q: In what organizations/associations are you actively involved? A: I am a lab assistant for Dr. Cobb’s astronomy class, teach the night labs at the observatory, a McNair Scholar, and will be doing research this summer with Dr. Dahiya. I am president of the Rocketry Club; however, this semester has been so busy that we haven’t launched many rockets. I also participated in the CSIS trip to Washington D.C., during spring break and will be returning for an internship there in the spring of 2009. Off campus, my wife and I are the children’s directors at Millersville Baptist Church and the area coordinators for Operation Christmas Child (OCC). In February, I had the opportunity to travel to Lima, Peru, with OCC to distribute shoebox gifts to the children there.
Q: Why did you choose Southeast?
A: I chose Southeast because it was close to home and offered the degree I was looking for.
Q: What are your career aspirations after graduating?
A: Originally, I was interested in rocketry and the mars project at NASA. Thanks to my professors and the McNair Program, I plan to finish a Ph.D. in physics after graduation. I am interested in energy and developing future technologies to advance production, distribution and to streamline usage of electrical power.
Q: What one thing at Southeast has enhanced your college experience?
A: The faculty – I have never had so many people show such an interest in their students’ success as the professors I have had so far. Because of its dedicated mentors and small classes with one-on-one relationships, Southeast is a great place for engineering students.
Q: What do you do for fun?
A: Being a full-fledged nerd, I find myself playing with my calculator and computer spreadsheets to crunch numbers for fun. I know it sounds strange. Other hobbies include the blazing challenge at Buffalo Wild Wings, photography (thank you Dr. Baird), and in general, being a big kid.
With a little bit of knowledge and a lot of time, we can discover the mysteries of the universe. For the regional math conference last fall, I derived a two-variable equation that, given the day and time, will deliver the elevation of the sun for any time during the year. This can be used for building a passive solar home or designing a sun dial. In the previous year, I derived the equations to define a sail boat hull to the size and shape I wanted to build, and was able to use what I have learned in my calculus classes to determine the displacement.
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