Aggies showcase their many talents
Dan Fields
Dan Fields is a third-year student, majoring in music performance with an emphasis in percussion. Wanting to take after his sister, who played in the high school drum line, Fields’ said his love for music began with the cello.
He’s been playing percussion for almost nine years. In addition to the drums, Field’s musical ability extends to the keyboard, bass and the kazoo.
Fields said he plays with seven bands in Logan, but still has time for work and school. The project he’s gotten the most publicity with is drumming for the psychedelic rock group Till We Have Faces.
The band recently won the first round of the City Battle of the Bands, and Fields said he plans to record an album soon with bandmates Benjamin Wilson and Dillan Stracke.
The band also plans to release a single within the next few months.
Fields said professor Jason Nicholson is who drew him to USU’s music performance program.
“I think (my passion) comes from a million different places,” Fields said, “like listening to music, being creative, trying to take what someone else is playing and make it even better than it already is with what you play. It’s pretty empowering, I guess. It’s a way of expressing everything I’m passionate about in my life.”
If Fields could do anything, he said, he would play drums for Jimi Hendrix. Realistically, however, he said wants to take his talent as far as he can. Till We Have Faces will play concerts locally throughout the spring 2012 semester and plans to tour this summer.
Ty Weaver
Ty Weaver, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering, said what he does with his time may surprise some people. He works as a research assistant at the Research Greenhouses for Professor Bruce Bugbee, who just won a governor’s medal for his endeavors in algal biofuels.
Being one of the only undergraduate students on the staff, Weaver said he’s been a part of dozens of projects. The project he’s currently working on involves researching the effects of an artificial light spectrum on plant life.
Weaver sets up LED lights and writes a control program so each plant gets a different mixture of light.
In his spare time, Weaver said he’s designing and manufacturing an under glow for the bottom of his longboard.
Weaver, who grew up in Texas, has been writing programs since he was young.
“When I was a kid, I didn’t have any money,” Weaver said, “Software was nice because you didn’t necessarily need to buy any resources. You get to build cool, crazy projects and go as far as you wanted and didn’t need to pay for anything. You were only limited by yourself.”
He said computers have always been a tool for what he’s wanted to do.
Weaver has written freeware computer games and other programs that people all over the world over have used, he said, and after he graduates plans to stay in the industry and continue the projects he’s started.
Holland Larson
Holland Larsen, a junior majoring in fine arts, said she began painting seriously in her sophomore year of high school. Sometimes she paints for eight hours a day. Larsen said her passion for art began as an outlet.
“I can write,” Larsen said, “but drawing and painting is more or less the only way where I can think about getting what I want to say out.”
Her artwork has been featured in multiple venues in Salt Lake City, including Dexterity Salon, Cafe Niche and the Garfo Gallery, which is affiliated with the Visual Art Institute.
It has also been shown in Logan at the undergraduate art show and the gardeners’ market, where she sells her art.
Larsen is currently president of an art guild in which she curates other’s art in local showings. With hopes to be a curator some day, she said she spends her time working at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, assisting guests and.
Currently, Larsen said her work focuses on the human figure and women’s studies issues. Subject matter ranges from the human body to pregnancy. She said her work could be considered controversial.
“I want my art to speak to people, but I don’t really care if people get it,” Larsen said, “It’s always interesting to hear what people think about my work.”
She said she plans to go to graduate school at University of California, Los Angeles and UC, Santa Cruz.
“I either want to become a professor or work in gallery curation and do art on the side,” Larsen said about her future. “I am usually flying off the seat of my pants, so I’m not sure how it will go after that.”