| Technical Assistant
Mark Franz is the technical assistant for the WV LTAP team. He was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area. He graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. in physics and a B.S. in astronomy in June 2006. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in civil engineering at West Virginia University. His research interests are transportation and construction management.
Mark worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the Astronomy Department while he completed his bachelor’s. He was also an active member of the Undergraduate Astrophysics Society and the Undergraduate Physics Society. He was awarded a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) position at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, Arizona during the summer of 2005. His REU research project required him to collect and analyze data from state of the art telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope. “It was an experience I will never forget,” he says. Outside of his studies, he was involved in volunteer work including education fairs where he gave astronomy presentations to grade school classes. He also participated in intramural softball.
Some of Mark’s other interests are fishing, baseball, football, playing guitar, and exercising. “I am honored and delighted about becoming a WVU student and member of the WV LTAP team,” he says.
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