Remembering Mike

1
Remembering Mike

• Our friend and colleague at Carleton

2
On Saturday, June 21, 2003 we lost our friend,
Mike Ewers. While observing at Arecibo Radio
Telescope, Mike and several other students took a
break to explore the rain forest surrounding the
observatory. During their excursion, Mike and
his friend Kris Reilly suffered a tragic fall
while hiking in the Tanama River. Carletons
Department of Physics and Astronomy will miss
Mike deeply. His joy for learning, his eagerness
to help others and his friendliness and laughter
have been a mainstay around the halls of Olin.
This book is our attempt to share our memories of
Mike and to celebrate his life with us here at
Carleton.
3
Olin Hall

• Olin Hall was Mikes home away from home.
  He spent many an hour in Olin working on labs
  and problem sets with his physics pals- building
  character and having fun. In the next few pages,
  we have gathered memories of Mike from classmates
  and professors about his life with us on campus.

4
Mike was a great procrastinator. I remember the
last time that I saw him was at about 215 pm on
Tuesday, June 10, 2003, as he was finally leaving
his room on 1st Nourse (where I was his RA - he
was supposed to be out by 200 pm). Only about a
half hour earlier, it seemed, he still had
posters up on his wall, a computer on his desk,
and unemptied drawers full of who knows what but
he and his dad somehow got all of that stuff out
of there. But that was what I liked about Mike.
Whenever we had a problem set due in one of our
physics classes, I always knew that no matter how
late I started it the night before, I would find
Mike in Olin working on it. We shared a number
of late night Domino's pizza deliveries and
recently, just this past term, we played a number
of games of "Ted Ball," named after and played
with one of our fellow physics procrastinators,
Ted Holby (the game involves trying to bounce a
small ball into one of the shelves in Olin 210,
the room where we usually worked - it is a fairly
amusing passtime at around 2 in the
morning). Mike always had something to say
during class and his characteristic laugh was
never absent from the sounds of the classroom for
more than a few minutes. That was Mike. I also
remember Mike in the Nourse Main Lounge watching
various sporting events on tv. If you were ever
curious about how many years in a row the
Timberwolves had lost in the first round of the
playoffs, Mike could tell you. Last January
(2002), a busload of people, myself and Mike
included, went to a Timberwolves game. I was
sitting near the front of the bus and found
myself quite confused as the bus driver drove
past the Target Center and got back onto the
interstate. Apparently the driver was quite
confused as well because about 10 minutes later
he turned on the lights inside the bus and asked
if anyone knew where we were. Mike, in a snazzy
T-wolves jersey, came to the rescue and guided us
back to the Target Center through Friday night
Minneapolis traffic - we only missed about half
of the first quarter. I think the Timberwolves
ended up losing to the Spurs, but Mike was one of
the loudest supporters in the stands for Garnett
Co. The most recent off-campus experience that
I had with Mike was just a few weeks ago - on
Friday, May 30, 2003. Eight people from 1st
Nourse went to see the Minnesota Twins take on
the Seattle Mariners at the Metrodome. Two of
those 8 people, Mike and Will Dixon, were
particularly obnoxious as they yelled from the
stands down to Jacque Jones (Jacque was playing
left field for the Twins - we were sitting in the
upper deck above left field). Despite the fact
that it was obvious that Jacque would never hear
them, they continued to scream at him at the top
of their lungs. It was great. A procrastinator.
A vocal classmate and sports fan. Mike was a
good guy. I'm going to miss him. Aleks
Diamond-Stanick, Class of 04
5
I ask my students to email me each day after
they have finished their assignment and share
with me what went well, what didn't, what
questions they still have. After reading Aleks's
description of Mike's procrastination, I went
back to look at the emails that he had sent me.
Sure enough, more than two-thirds of them were
sent after 3 a.m.! Invariably, Mike offered
completely revealing, nothing-to-hide
commentaries on his efforts to understand the
material. Most of them involve technical details
but here are a few comments that I gleaned from
them that remind me of Mike's dedication,
enthusiasm, and humor - "I had to consult my good
old calculus book." "I believe I nailed (by this
I mean I think I got them right) the problems
that you assigned." "Well, that sums up my night
in Quantum Land." "I am sure it will be fun to
apply the Quantum concepts to this linear algebra
? yay!" "I found that I had a really fun time
doing the problems that you assigned (no
kidding!)." And, finally, this short and sweet
one that he sent me at about 330 one morning -
"I have no major concerns or questions with the
reading. I thought that I should drop you a line
anyway...." Mike provided a real spark of bright
friendliness and joy. We'll all miss that very,
very much. Bruce Thomas
Mike was a great guy. I was lucky enough to be
on a pre-frosh trip to the Boundary Waters with
him, as well as going to Arkansas with him to
build houses with Habitat for Humanity. On these
trips I got to know him pretty well. I also
spent many a late night with him working on
physics homework in Olin. He would often tell
stories about sports, his family, Target,
astronomy and his dog, all things that he loved
very much. He had such a great heart and sense
of humor. I am going to miss him so much, but I
know where ever he is, he is smiling. He always
smiled. My thoughts and prayers are with
you, Ted Holby, Class of 04
6
Heres a picture of the Carleton frisbee fields.
Mike enjoyed playing on the Physbee team, our
department frisbee team.
Hello my name is Nate Pogue, Physics major
2003. I thought that I would say that I am
sorry for your loss, and we all feel your pain. I
knew Mike for about two years and am proud to say
that Mike was a fellow major, comrade, and friend
of mine. Mike and I worked on several projects
together and spent several nights in the dark
halls of Olin. Mike always had a smile on his
face and a cheerful heart. He had an infectious
laugh that always lighted the mood, and was
always willing to assist fellow students when
needing help. Much of my time with Mike was in
the halls of Olin, but on occasion we would hang
out together. Several times we had a social get
together of the majors. Mike was always there and
always helped out in planning and organizing
whenever he could. He had an appealing sense of
humor and was a source of entertainment for us
all. It was an honor to know Mike, Nate Pogue
7
I had just graduated from Carleton and spent a
long week adjusting to the fact that I'd never
spend another week with all my friends in
Northfield. It was a hard week and I was feeling
pretty sorry for myself. Then I got and email
"Carleton student Colin (Mike) Ewers missing in
Puerto Rico". Instantly my perspective changed.
Instead of thinking about my own misfortune at
having to leave Carleton, I was jolted into the
world of Mike's parents and loved ones. My own
problems seemed pretty insignificant after I
heard about Mike. I learned so many things at
Carleton, it's hard to put them all in words.
However, I think now is an appropriate time to
articulate one particular thing I learned. At
Carleton, there is a very thin line between your
friends and your colleagues. While I wouldn't
have ever said Mike was one of my close friends
at Carleton (after all, he was a year younger
than me and I only had one class with him) he was
definitely one of my colleagues. A fellow
physics major, Mike was struggling as we all were
to get through the difficult physics sequence
with his sanity still intact. Every late night I
spent in Olin trying to finish a problem set,
there was Mike, doing the same. He was the
constant, that one guy you knew you could count
on to be in the physics building when you thought
everyone else had given up for the night to go to
bed. It was always comforting to know that if I
was going to be up really late working on an
assignment, Mike would most likely be there
working hard to get his work done as well. Mike
never had any pretensions that he was better or
smarter than anyone else. He just worked hard
every day to educate himself a little more. I
really respected that about Mike and I wouldn't
let anyone tell me he wasn't a hard worker. I,
myself, have been known to be a workaholic, and
seeing Mike right there with me on so many
occasions made me respect his work ethic and
willingness to got the extra mile to understand a
concept. One particular thing I remember about
Mike in this regard was in our Contemporary
Experimental Physics class. Our professor
(Nelson Christensen) put all the class notes
on-line for us after each lecture. Every student
(including myself) would print them off and look
at them briefly before each test. Mike on the
other hand, refusing to take the easy road, would
look up each page of notes on the internet and
write it in his own words in his notebook. When
I asked him why he did this (instead of just
printing them like the rest of us) he told me
that it helped him understand the material
better. That pretty much sums up Mike for me.
He always went the extra mile to understand
things the best he possibly could. To me, that's
the most you can expect from someone. Getting
back to my point above, after thinking about all
my interactions with Mike over the past years (I
was his lab assistant for Electronics and a
fellow classmate of his in Contemporary Physics)
I realize that a colleague in our department
(Carleton Physics department) is, by default, a
friend. You can't possibly spend countless hours
toiling over problem sets and projects with a
person and not consider them your friend. This
is why when I read the headlines about Mike's
disappearance it hit me so hard. While I may not
have spent my weekends with Mike or gone to
movies with him in my spare time, he went to
battle in the same rooms as me in the same
building as me with the same professors as me.
Mike was a colleague and a friend. At Carleton,
there's such a thin line between the two, that I
can't distinguish between them. Mike was my
friend and I hate to lose him. At least I know
that heaven now has one more extremely hard
working, curious soul than it had before. Tim
O'Connell Carleton Class of 2003
8
Mike took Classical and Computational Mechanics
with me Winter of '02. I enjoyed his presence in
the class -- he was very sincere about learning
the physics, perhaps a little unsure (like
everyone else!) that all that homework was really
necessary, but getting it done and steadily
becoming more confident every week. He did a
great job, particularly in the group project for
the class since he got along very well with his
peers. I chatted with him a few times that term
outside class and since then saw him regularly at
Department events, since he was reliably there
and particularly happy to talk about Astronomy
classes and interests. We are going to miss his
steady smiling presence around Olin. Arjendu
Pattanayak
Mike was active in all Department functions. He
was a regular participant in our weekly Physics
Table lunch held in this dining room of the
Language and Dining Center.
9
I met Mike during my first week at Carleton. I
was sitting in the second Musser lounge, feeling
very alone and wondering if I had made the right
choice in coming to Carleton. Mike walked in,
sat down at the table across from me and struck
up a conversation with a smile and "Hi, I'm Mike.
Who are you?" We chatted briefly and when I left
the lounge that evening, my earlier worries had
been erased. I felt as though there might still
be "kindred spirits" at Carleton. Mike didn't
have to come in and introduce himself to me, nor
did he have to strike up a conversation with a
very scared freshman, but he did. As the year
progressed, I found him to have a deep
appreciation for good jokes, and a kind of
genuine friendliness that made him a good
floormate as well as a friend. When the fall
of my sophomore year arrived, I made it a point
to introduce myself to the freshmen of my floor,
remembering how much of a difference Mike's
actions made to me. He was a wonderful guy, and
I know that every time I see someone who's
feeling new and alone, I'll walk up to them and
say "Hi, I'm Katie. Who are you?" Katie
Goetz, Class of 05
Mike lived in Musser Hall during his first two
years on campus.
10
I was on Mike's floor freshmen year, before I
even knew what my major was going to be. I
remember him being excited about astronomy, and
always wanting to talk about astronomy and
physics and such once he found out I was thinking
about being a major. I remember playing games
with him, IM sports, and seeing his dog coming to
visit him every few weeks. I remember working
with Mike through some long labs in EM, and he
would always just keep going... his ability to
keep going long after my energy and enthusiasm
had died out was remarkable. I remember being in
Astrophysics with him, and listening to him ask
question after (very perceptive) question in
class. He was excited, interested, laughing, and
he knew how to mix his sense of humor with a
desire to understand the world and the
universe. Carleton is gonna miss Mike, as will
I. David Steussy, Class of '04
During his junior year, Mike lived in Nourse
Hall. His room was the first floor corner room
on the right.
11
I met Mike in my Astrophysics class this past
term. He was a very nice classmate. He was always
enthusiastic and jovial, which I really
appreciated since I also like to have fun as I
learn this material. I had known nothing about
Astronomy or Astrophysics before taking the
course, and Mike definitely helped in showing me
how cool it really is. Dan Brooks, Class of 05
The first time I met Mike was at a Timberwolves
game against the Pistons. Campus activities
organized the event, and about 25 Carelton
students bought tickets. Mike sat just behind
me. Every time the T'wolves scored he made sure
that everyone in our section knew about it, such
was his cheering. His enthusiasm for the game
gave it an energy it would otherwise have lacked
and pulled me directly into the excitement.
Lawrence Uricchio, Class of 05
Mikes classmates are shown here working on
research in Olin 304. Mike enjoyed working in
what we call the Sun Room.
12
Over the past week, I have thought a lot about
Mike. The thoughts I think about him always come
back to happy ones. I think about our Astro
class last term. I sat next to him most classes,
and without fail, I could always get him to
laugh. I think about various observing nights
we've had at Carleton, and the joy that Mike
always brought to them. I think about the nights
that I was doing problem sets in Olin and Mike
came in. It always made me happy when Mike came
in because I could always find something to joke
about with him. I think about how he was always
eager to help and eager to learn. I think about
how happy I am that I was able to know Mike.
Therefore, when I think about Mike, a smile comes
across my face. This will be true no matter what
has happened or what will happen. I am lucky to
have known Mike and be the recipient of such
memories. Best wishes, Ashley Ross, Class of
04
Ashley and Brynn work on astro research in Olin.
13
I never knew Mike that well personally, but I
knew him very well as a physics major and
astronomy lover. We had many a class together (I
can remember all the way back to him joking with
Joel in intro physics), but this past term was
most memorable, as we worked on labs together. I
always enjoyed working with Mike - he was serious
enough to get things done, and cheerful enough to
joke about everything anyway. If there's one
thing I appreciate, it's a good sense of humor
when stressing out about lab write-ups. He was
always alert and interested in what we were
doing, and not afraid to step in and turn knobs.
And he would rearrange the optics set-ups with a
flourish for the next group. I also remember how
he kept trying to get the walkie-talkies to work
for the speed of light lab, so we wouldn't have
to yell through the rooms. He was annoyed that
they would always lose contact just where we
needed them. He was a great lab
partner. Mostly, though, I remember Mike as an
astronomer. He and I were both faithful
volunteers for the monthly Goodsell open houses.
I admired how he knew so many tidbits of
information, like how far the Moon is or the
workings of the 16-inch's clock drive. He always
had an answer for visitors' questions, and if he
didn't, he knew exactly where to go to look it
up. And he had a passion for Saturn - he could
never sneak enough peaks through the telescopes
at it. In classes, he was interested about every
aspect of astronomy, and always full of
questions. It will be strange not hearing his
familiar voice in class. As time goes by, I
remember more and more conversations or events
with Mike, from talking about the shuttle
explosions and cosmology one night when no one
showed up for tutoring (for intro astro), to his
remembering that I like Japanese and encouraging
me to try the JET program, which his sister did
and loved. I never knew him as well as I wanted
to, which frustrated me. I was looking forward
to getting to know him better this summer, but
this is not what I had in mind. Nevertheless, I
remember how excited he was to have the
opportunity to go to Arecibo, and I know he was
happy there. Still, I think the astronomy world
lost a wonderful and potential-filled member. I
will miss him. Brynn Barile, Class of 04
14
Goodsell Observatory

• Mike loved astronomy. He spent many nights
  using the telescopes in Goodsell to enjoy the
  skies and he was always eager to share his
  enjoyment with others. Mike was a frequent
  volunteer at Goodsell public observing evenings.

15
Mike was a true lover of astronomy - you could
say he majored in universe appreciation. He was
always eager to learn and to share his newfound
knowledge with others. Mikes enthusiasm for
learning was contagious and he often went out of
his way to help others understand and feel
comfortable with new concepts. In fact, Mike was
so thoughtful hed make sure you could understand
what everyone was laughing about. He tutored me
in the finer aspects of the movie Space Balls
so I could understand the jokes in class! Mike
spread cheer and humor wherever he went. Always
willing to help, Mike was one of our most
dependable volunteers at Goodsell open houses.
His ready smile and easy friendliness were a hit
with the visitors and he had a knack for making
the universe come alive for young and old alike.
He loved doing it and we loved working with
him. At the end of spring term, Mike and I
talked about his upcoming observing trip and his
future research. He was so excited about going
to Arecibo - it had been his dream since his
first term at Carleton. We talked about his gift
for teaching and I know Mike would have made a
wonderful teacher. Mike has already taught us a
great many things in his short time with us. He
showed us how to spread cheer with a friendly
smile and how to marvel at the universe. We will
miss him very much. Cindy Blaha
Mike was very fond of observing. He used both
the large 16 refracting telescope in the dome
and the new computer-controlled reflecting
telescopes on the outside observing pad.
16
Mike often used the 16 telescope to enjoy many
celestial sights. When we looked at the
observatory log book, we noticed Mike had been
the last to use the telescope.
17
This is the Hill of Three Oaks (well 2.7
actually). Mike started learning the
constellations on top of this hill during his
introductory astronomy lab.
Heres one of the first CCD images Mike took
with his lab partners. It is of the Great
Globular Cluster in the constellation Hercules.
As always, focusing is one of an astronomers
most character-building experiences.
18
Observing at Arecibo

• From his first day at Carleton, Mike
  dreamed of going observing at Arecibo. Here he
  is making his dream come true. Mike, Joel
  Weisberg and Pei Zhuan admire their new data on
  the binary pulsar in the control room of the
  Arecibo Radio Telescope.

19
A Lesson from Mike

• In his Astrophysics class this past spring
  term, Mike taught the class all about the
  supermassive black holes that lie in the nuclei
  of galaxies. The following pages are the
  presentation slides from his talk. We hope you
  enjoy them as much as we did.
• We will always remember Mikes smile, his
  laughter and his joy for learning. When we look
  up to enjoy the night sky, we will remember
  Mikes great capacity to marvel at the wonders of
  the universe.