A Brief Introduction to the Life of Chris
 |
| My cell phone camera has a dedicated astrophotography mode which I've used to take great night sky pictures |
 |
| Here is a picture of me on Okuma Beach in Kunigami, Okinawa in 2013 |
In addition to majoring in astrophysics, I am also earning a minor in Japanese. My father was born in Okinawa, Japan, hence my uncommon last name, Yamashiro. Written å±±å in Japanese, the first character means "mountain" and the second means "castle." Because of my father's upbringing, Japanese culture has always been an interest of mine - even more so recently now that I am taking classes to learn the language. In this class, I'm looking forward to hopefully learning some Japanese mythology and folklore. I've traveled to Okinawa before in 2013, and it was one of the greatest trips of my life! I'd really love to go back sometime and apply what my Japanese teachers here at OU have taught me.
After graduation, I am planning on attending graduate school to obtain a Ph.D in astronomy and one day hopefully conduct research at a university as a professor of astrophysics. Aside from spending a lot of time on academics, I enjoy spending time cooking great meals with my three roommates. We love making Indian and Japanese curry, poke bowls, air frying everything, and constantly trying new recipes.
Oh, wow, astrophysics: absolutely wonderful, Chris: I am so glad you were able to latch onto a really great program at OU... and Japanese also! I hope you will use this class to find a Japanese topic that you can explore and learn about in depth... the Japanese storytelling tradition is AMAZING, and there are some excellent resources online in English, plus you will be able to explore Japanese-language resources online, which is even better. Here's one of my favorites: Hasegawa's Japanese Fairy Tale series ... I've been able to find almost all of them online, and you'll see that someone left a very helpful comment pointing me to some more that have become available online since I made that list. And here's a Wikipedia article about him: Hasegawa TakejirÅ. He started publishing these beautiful books all the way back in 1885. Anyway, that's just one of many Japanese resources; I am so excited to see what will grab your attention as you read and explore!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the suggestions on the Japanese tales and the South Carolinian folklore on my previous post as well! I am truly excited to check these out as the semester progresses.
DeleteAwesome intro Chris! I've also always been awestruck by a clear and starry night, but I bet your studies have pushed your appreciation and wonder even further. If you haven't already, I hope you get to visit a Dark Sky zone before grad school. I have no memories of the Carolinas, but my folks lived in Rock Hill and I was born in Charlotte!
ReplyDeleteI definitely want to visit a dark sky zone, I have not been but one of my astronomy classmates shared their experience with me, and it looks incredible. Always nice to meet someone with some east coast and especially Carolina connections out here, even if you weren't old enough to remember. There aren't many of us!
DeleteHi Chris! Omg that's such a cool major. How does your phone have an astrophotography mode? My iphone 11 says "not on my watch" when I try to take pictures of the stars. I'm visiting family in Hawaii for the next couple months and the stars are AMAZING but I can't photograph them :( That's so cool your dad's from Japan. Does he tell you much about your family's history? What is your favorite dish in general? So nice to meet you! :)
ReplyDeleteI have to sacrifice not having an iPhone like everyone else I know. Google Pixel phones have the best cameras though. Unfortunately I don't know much about my family's history, just that we've got lots of farm land in the mountains in Okinawa. My uncle has one of the biggest orange farms on the island! My favorite dish has gotta be the curry, hence it being the first one I listed :)
DeleteHey Chris, congrats on graduating this semester with a degree in astrophysics! Combined with a minor in Japanese, that definitely took some serious work. Good luck with your work in the future and finding a place to conduct research. I was supposed to spend a month in Japan this previous summer, but COVID-19 hit and canceled all my vacation plans for the foreseeable future. I am excited to finally explore the Japanese countryside once the pandemic is over.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad you didn't get to go. I had trips for Las Vegas and Japan planned as well, but neither happened, so I feel your pain. Let's hope we can travel again very soon!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHey Chris, it is awesome that you're graduating this semester with an astrophysics degree. Way to go! I love space too and some of my favorite movies about it are The Arrival and Interstellar. The vast unknown of space is scary and also interesting to learn. I would love to go into this field but there is too much math involved. I am also writing about Japanese mythology and folklore too, but mostly about horror stuff like yurei and yokai. I love to travel and hopefully I'll be able to visit Japan in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris! I think that you majoring in Astrophysics is amazing. I have never met anyone with that major so I find that very cool and interesting. Congrats on graduating in May! I also graduate in May. I think its great that you are going to continue your education so that you can be a professor in the future. I also think its really cool that your dad is from Japan and in this class you get to learn about Japanese folklore and mythology. Also what kind of phone do you have? Your picture of the sky is awesome!
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI also have an interest in the stars. When I was younger and finally got glasses (after convincing my parents I wasn't faking not being able to see) the night sky was one of the things that left me transfixed. I still can't look up at the night sky at home without stopping to admire its beauty. One of the worst things about living on campus is how ugly the skies look. Do you have a favorite constellation? I have always liked Orion because it is such a big constellation that it feels like I can find some part of it no matter what time of year it is.
Hi Arthur! Yes, I do have a favorite constellation. I would have to say mine is the big dipper as this was one that I'd usually be able to look up and find quickly as well. Orion is a great one. It contains one of my favorite stars, Betelgeuse, because astronomers think this star is on the verge of blowing up in a supernova explosion. That would be pretty awesome.
DeleteHello Chris!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has lived their entire life in Oklahoma, I am definitely the one who asks out of state students why they chose the great state of OK. National Merit, oh boy! You definitely sure to succeed wherever you go, and astrophysics seems like it can be a tough field at times. Hopefully you have been able to get lots of good pictures of the stars out here in Oklahoma, we do have quite a lot of small towns and lakes with clear night skies. Congrats on making to the last semester of undergrad and good luck with getting your Ph.D!
Hey Chris!
ReplyDeleteFirst off congrats on being a National Merit Scholar! That's a super awesome achievement, so you should definitely be proud of yourself. I haven't ever heard of anyone majoring in astrophysics, so that's very cool. Space is always fascinating, so I'm sure you get to learn about some crazy stuff! This past summer I went to Utah and visited Goblin Valley state park, which has one of the darkest night skies. I got to see so many stars and was able to take a picture of the Milky Way! I hope you have a great semester!
Hi Chris, nice to meet you! I enjoyed reading your introduction post, and it seems like we have a lot in common. I also have three siblings—are you the oldest? I'm here for national merit too, and after living on the national merit floor it seems like an abnormal amount of us are oldest siblings! I think astrophysics sounds really interesting. My major is nothing like that, but I did love my astronomy class!
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on graduation this semester with a degree in astrophysics! You are the first person I have met with that as their degree path. The picture you posted that you took from your phone is really cool! I absolutely love just looking at the stars at night but never had the passion to do anything but admire them.
Hey Chris,
ReplyDeleteYour introduction is really great! It flows really well and includes multiple facts and interesting bits about yourself that really help your readers to get a better idea of who you are and what you care about. Getting to learn a language which has so much meaning to you and your family must be really fun and fascinating! Have you had much opportunity to practice with your family? Good luck finishing classes this semester!
Hey Chris!
ReplyDeleteIt's the end of the semester already and I just stumbled upon your posts! I hope you had a good semester so far! Congratulations on being a national merit scholar! Astrophysics too? Good luck with that haha I hate physics! Funny enough, I started out as an astronomy major, but once I realized it was all physics I jumped the boat real fast! I wish you luck in your future endeavors!!
Hi Chris!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool major! It sounds very difficult. I took an astronomy class in highschool and couldn't get a grasp on it, so I am very impressed! It is so cool that you are a national merit scholar! I also think it is so great that you have such an interest in Japanese culture due to your family's background. I think it so important to understand where our families came from. I wish you luck on finals and your future plans!