Meet the Wedding Party: Andy Goers

Name: Andy Goers

Status: Usher

How We Met: Andy and I were randomly selected to live together my sophomore year, his freshman year. I dare you to try and find two more compatible people that were randomly paired together. We both have a great appreciation for knowledge and learning. Many nights we got little sleep because we were sharing what we knew with each other.

Actually, I first spoke with Andy on AIM before meeting him in person. The one thing that struck me as really odd about those conversations was his use of smiley faces. He used then when I would not have expected someone to smile. It made some more sense after I met him and saw what a big smile he has. Little did I know that this characteristic of Andy would end up playing a role in my favorite memory of him.

Favorite Memory: On a football weekend at ISU, many of our friends came to town and we decided to eat at Applebee's. We probably had about 12 people at our table including Aaron and Kyle. Andy was sitting on one end, I was sitting near the other, and my high school friend Ryan Marx was sitting in the middle. When our waitress was serving us our waters, she accidentally dumped a large quantity in Ryan's lap. Most of us, knowing Ryan very well, didn't know how to react. Sure it was funny but we also felt bad for him. Then, seemingly in unison, everyone looked over at Andy who was trying to hide his big smile. The tension brook as everyone burst out laughing. Whenever someone retells this story, they also include their account of seeing Andy's smile.

The best example I can give of Andy's smile.

Andy is the middle person in the front row. We got third in our division of ISU's intramural basketball that year.

This is my surprise 21st birthday.

Andy gradated from ISU in May 2010 with degrees in Math and Physics. This fall, he will begin his graduate work in physics at the University of Maryland, College Park. In fact, he is already there working for a professor this summer.

Meet the Wedding Party: Kyle Halligan

Name: Kyle Halligan

Status: Usher

How We Met: Kyle and I went to the same elementary school, so we go way back. In elementary school, I had two groups of friends that we shall call "jocks" and "nerds". Kyle was in my "nerd" group of friends. Every year for my birthday party, I would invite both groups, which always made for an interesting time. Even though I labelled Kyle as a nerdy friend, we also played on the same soccer team some number of years. My mom has team photos somewhere.

Favorite Memory: My favorite memory of Kyle is of a more general nature. Everyone knows that I like to argue and Kyle frequently argues back...to the bitter end! Kyle also went to ISU. Many times Kyle, Aaron, and I would eat dinner together at ISU's Union Drive Marketplace dinning center. Sometimes, our whole conversation was taken up by an argument between me and Kyle. Most of the time, Aaron would play Swedish by remaining neutral through silence.

Tailgating before a football game.

Standing in line waiting to get into a football game.

At a football game. (That is me on the right.)

Kyle graduated from ISU in 2010 in Mechanical Engineering. He continues to reside in Ames and is employed as a transportation engineer for the Iowa Department of Transportation.


Update:
Here are some pics of us when we were just wee little chaps.

Meet the Wedding Party: Aaron Walters

Name: Aaron Walters

Status: Usher

How We Met: Aaron and I met in 7th grade because we had the same home room. Home room assignments were based on last name, which is why I met Dan Yap the previous year. However, I did not meet Aaron in 6th grade because he was at Hayworth that year. Our home room was awesome, literally the best. It was the mod tech room, which was air conditioned.

Favorite Memory: Aaron and I stuck together after high school because we both went to ISU. In our first semester, we both started out as engineers. It was pretty obvious that Aaron was not enjoying the engineering track. In the second semester, engineers take Physics I. Here is (the essence) of a question that we had in one of our exams:

You are on top of the ISU Campanile at a height of 80 m. You throw a ball weighing 5 kg directly parallel to the ground at a velocity of 20 m/sec. If you ignore the friction from the air and assume that the acceleration of Earth's gravity is 10 m/sec², how far from the base of the Campanile will the ball be when it hits the ground?

When I read this question, I thought...

1. The mass of the ball does not matter.
2. Because we are ignoring the friction caused by the air, the horizontal velocity will stay constant at 20 m/sec.
3. Again ignoring friction from the air, the vertical distance d = 80 m, initial vertical velocity v_i = 0 m/s, and constant vertical acceleration a = 10 m/s² obey the equation d = v_i * t + 1/2 * a * t².
4. Solving for t, we know that the ball hits the ground after 4 seconds.
5. In 4 seconds, the ball will travel 20 m/sec * 4 sec = 80 m from the base of the Campanile.

However, Aaron thought,

"The Campanile is not 80 meters tall!"

Needless to say, Aaron switched that semester from the college of engineering to the college of business.


We are dancing in a friend's dorm room. If I remember correctly, this is our sophomore year and we are dancing to "Swingville Sashay" from extrememusic.com.


I think I like Aaron more than he likes me.


I spy with my little eye Aaron and Tyson.


There we are...on the jumbotron!!

Aaron graduated from ISU in May where he majored in accounting and finance. He just accepted a job at IBM Rochester.