May's Lunch & Learn

                       "Amateur Radio:  A Beginning"
                              Presenter:  Brandon Graham '12

                                      Friday, May 11
                               11:30 am to 1:00 pm
                       Folsom Library's Fischbach Room

It's not often that we ask a student to do a Lunch & Learn presentation, but senior Brandon Graham is very articulate and impassioned when it comes to talking about something that interests him.  And radio communication is one of those topics.  (Geology is another, and if he were to be around next semester I'd ask him to talk about his explorations of some of the Southwest's grand rock formations.)

Brandon will give an introduction into the exciting world of radio communication.  Amateur (ham) radio has evolved over the last 100 years from the use of primitive spark gap to vacuum tubes to solid state transceivers, morphing from the original digital mode of Morse code to capabilities such as streaming video, email, GPS integration, satellite communications, Moon bounce, or simply talking with a microphone. 

For Brandon, "Amateur Radio was a starting point into several technical hobbies.  Beginning with Radio Controlled Model Warship Combat and then later interests in communications, amateur radio introduces a wide range of technical skills that have been with me throughout my time at RPI and in my many activities.  Emergency Communications, Go kits, digital modes, mobile car systems, antenna building, and transmitter hunting are my primary passions with ham radio."  He also feels that amateur radio is "an avenue to explore many technical fields of practical engineering."

Brandon is a senior geology student at Rensselaer who came here with a passion for many activities.  Boy Scouts, Model Warship Combat, amateur radio, target shooting, and service all influence his understanding of how the world is constructed.  With academic interests in glacial geology and geomorphology, Brandon incorporates his many activities into how he perceives the field with which he works.  He is active in several campus organizations, including W2SZ Amateur Radio Club, in which he has served as president this year; Alpha Phi Omega; Rifle Club; Phalanx; and Sigma Gamma Epsilon.  His future endeavors include working with the New York Geologic Survey, summer field camp in Yellowstone, and grad school.

Adrienne Birchler
Coordinator
Friends of the Folsom Library