Dan Tomandl
Contact Dan Tomandl Physics with Lab Virtual Tour Astronomy Virtual TourI’m fascinated by how things work in our universe — things like motion and friction, stars and volcanoes. As a child, I went on many family fishing trips, but my favorite parts were playing in the sand and water – making rivers and watching erosion. I majored in physics at Beloit College where I met and married my wife. After graduation, we served two years in the Peace Corps as junior high teachers in Ethiopia. I wanted to further my education at a frontier of physics – either tiny (nuclear physics) or large (astrophysics). I decided on the large scale and earned a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Washington.
While looking for positions in Astronomy, the Lord led me in another direction, for a time. I accepted a position “temporarily” at the University of Washington as a computer programmer/developer. 30 years later a door opened up for a faculty position at Northwest University in Kirkland to teach physics, astronomy, and other general science and math courses. While there I’ve co-led student groups studying ecology and geology at Mt. St. Helens and studying culture and community development from a Christian perspective in Haiti, Tanzania, and Uganda. After doing that for 10 years, I’m semi-retired. I do still love to share what I know with others, so I am teaching here, and volunteer occasionally at local schools and libraries. My wife and I followed our grandkids to Whidbey Island. We have two adult sons and four young grandchildren. We were married 54 years before my wife went to heaven.