Division III, Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Rain Naylor ’22 (she/hers)

Astronomy/Physics (Combined Major)

Hi! My name is Rain and I'm a senior Astronomy-Physics major from Seattle Washington. When my head is not up in the stars, you may catch me out playing Frisbee as a part of the Whitman Sweets, baking tasty desserts, or with my nose in some fantasy novel as I walk around campus. I'm always super excited to talk about astronomy, so ask me about anything!

Favorite class or classes in major: ASTR 330: Cosmology, PHYS 348: Optics

Favorite class out of major: CLAS 130: Ancient Mythology

Contact:  naylorrc@whitman.edu

Grace Kim ’23 (she/her)

Biophysics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

I am swimmer that has two wiener dogs and loves science and math. I love BBMB because it gave me the freedom to choose between any STEM class.

Favorite class or classes in major: Biochemistry

Favorite class out of major: Differential Equations

Contact:  kimgm@whitman.edu

Olivia Andersen ’22 (she/her/hers)

Biophysics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

I'm pre-med and a big fan of chemistry and biology and spending time in the lab. I also love to dance, ski, spend time with friends and watch movies and TV and drink a nice warm cup of coffee.

Favorite class or classes in major: Biochemistry

Favorite class out of major: Evolutionary and Developmental Psychology

Contact:  anderso@whitman.edu

Fadia Chehadeh, ’22 (she/her/hers)

Biology Major and Psychology Minor

Hello everyone! I am a Biology major and Psychology minor from Beirut, Lebanon. I was a senator in ASWC during my first year at Whitman and a member of the Finance Committee. I love working out and more specifically doing yoga. So if you ever find yourself in need of a company to the gym, you know exactly who to call. I am looking forward to meeting you!

Favorite class or classes in major: BIOL 111: Biological Principles

Favorite class out of major: Beginning Aerobic Conditioning

Contact: chehadfm@whitman.edu

Rebecca Johnston ’22 (she/her)

Biology

I am a member of the Whitman College volleyball team and Vice President of the Pre-Health Society. I enjoy a good latte, sunsets in the wheat fields with friends, and making Spotify playlists. I am also currently training to make the US Paralympic snowboarding team.

Favorite class or classes in major: Physiology

Favorite class out of major: Rhetoric of Health & Medicine

Contact: johnstrj@whitman.edu

Lea Molacek ’22 (she/her)

Chemistry

I'm originally from Colorado and have been very involved with the outdoor program on campus since freshman year. I am also currently the Climbing gym manager. I work with a professor doing synthetic organic chemistry research on the synthesis of macrocyclic molecules for enzyme inhibition as an approach for drug therapy.

Favorite class or classes in major: Organic Chemistry

Favorite class out of major: Creative Writing-Poetry

Contact:  molacelr@whitman.edu

Leila Peterson ’22 

Computer Science

TBA

Favorite class or classes in major: TBA

Favorite class out of major:   TBA

Contact:  petersl@whitman.edu

Mikayla Crowder ’21 (she/her/hers)

Geology

I really enjoy being able to go out into the field and applying concepts learned in the classroom to the real world. With every new class, I see connections between geology and its relationships with society through the environmental studies lens, thus getting the full effect of an interdisciplinary education that attracted me to a liberal-arts college. 

Favorite class or classes in major: Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

Favorite class out of major: Religion and the Senses

Contact:  crowdeme@whitman.edu

Sam Fix ’ 23 (he/him/his)

Mathematics

Hi, my name is Sam and I am a math major from Spokane, Washington. I've known from the time that I was little that I was drawn to math and I used to have my mom print off my older brother's math homework so I could do it with him for fun. Choosing to come to Whitman was not a very adventurous choice for me as my dad, two older sisters, and older brother all came here as well. However, I'm happy that I followed in their steps. I played soccer my entire life but gave it up in college to pursue sports that are a bit more casual and enjoyable to me such as volleyball and disc golf. I'm a big fan of technology which is why I spend a decent amount of free time playing video games and I also work on campus for technology services.

Favorite class or classes in major: Introduction to Higher Mathematics

Favorite class out of major: Hispanic Studies: Analyzing the Visual; a course taught in Spanish that involves the analysis of comics and movies.

Contact:  fixsb@whitman.edu

Leila Peterson ’ 22 (shw/hers)

Mathematics and Computer Science

Hi! I'm Leila, a senior studying Mathematics and Computer Science. I came into Whitman unsure of what I wanted to study, but I took Calculus II my first semester and fell in love with the rigorous math we were learning. I was still unsure of how I wanted to apply this knowledge when I took my first computer science course and realized that it scratched the same puzzle-solving side of my brain that math did. Outside of classes, I'm an officer in my sorority and spend a lot of time reading, playing video games and hanging out with my roommates.

Favorite class or classes in major: This is a really hard question, because I have genuinely loved all of the CS courses I've taken. I would have to say maybe data structures, as that was where I first started learning about efficiency and designing optimal algorithms for a given problem, but everything I loved about that class I've been able to continue studying in my higher level courses as well. I'm probably also biased towards it because I worked as a mentor for that course two semesters in a row.

Favorite class out of major: I took Intro To Fiction sophomore year and eally enjoyed it! I love literature and being able to have discussions about it.

Contact: petersl@whitman.edu

James Klinman ’22 (he/him)

Physics/Astronomy

I've thought space and physics were cool for a long time, and my time here at Whitman has helped to turn my interest into a passion. The classes have been awesome for growing my appreciation and understanding of Physics and Astronomy, plus I now find myself outside at night stargazing or taking pictures with friends whenever the opportunity arises.

Favorite class or classes in major: Observational Astronomy

Favorite class out of major: Fundamentals of Argumentation

Contact: klinmajw@whitman.edu