Who Am I?

Hi! I'm Dan Murff. I'll be working with you this semester in your PHYS 151 course. You'll probably see me around in class often.

I'm from Salt Lake City, Utah, and yes, I am a "Mormon" if you were wondering (in some cities in Utah, 90% or more of the population is Mormon), although "Mormon" is a nickname given to us by you, the general public because of our belief in a book called... yup, the Book of Mormon. We actually refer to ourselves as members the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or for short, members of the LDS Church.

I have been married to my sweetheart, Nicole, for almost four great years. We met while serving as Spanish-speaking missionaries for the LDS Church in Montreal, Canada (crazy, huh? But yes, there are 50,000+ Spanish-speakers in Montreal). We've added three members to our family since we were married. Brett is 2 1/2, Ryan is 18 months, and Tyler is 2 months old. Needless to say, our house is crazy but also super fun. My wife does a stellar job as homemaker.

I am a Junior studying Engineering and Physics here at JU. The study of electricity fascinates me. Electrons zooming around, circuits, current, solenoids, and all the rest are the kinds of things I study for hours every day. I am working toward a career in Electrical Engineering. In my career I want to work on such things as making iPods faster and thinner and more powerful. I want to work on making the internet faster and computers more efficient.

My favorite memories here at JU involve the abrupt, prodigious rain storms we often get (it's pretty dry back in Utah). I remember one day deciding just to forget staying dry and I went out and ran all around campus in the warm, pounding rain. I was soaked to the bone when I got to my car but it felt so good to enjoy the rain in that way. I remember just laughing at myself about how soaked I was.

So, have you found a passion in the wide world of Physics yet? What is it? In what ways do you think Physics will impact your career and life?