Daniel Puentes is a podcasting physics Ph.D. candidate at Michigan State University.

Listeners to the radio podcast he co-hosts, “The Sci-Files” on MSU’s student radio station, can hear his infectious enthusiasm as he interviews Spartan students about their scientific research projects. His own research is about to get more exciting, too.

“I love that MSU is about to commission the world’s newest linear accelerator, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams,” says Puentes. “It’s going to allow researchers like me to deepen our understanding of nuclear physics and the mysteries of the universe. This will also help us understand how the elements that make up our universe were created.”

Part of Puentes’s drive comes from his family, who always has supported his passions.

“More than 50 years ago, my family immigrated from Cuba to start a new life here,” says Puentes. “Their sacrifice is the reason why I’m able to pursue a doctoral degree here in Michigan. My family is really proud of how far I’ve come. I’ll be the first in my family to get a Ph.D., becoming the first Dr. Puentes from my family.”