Nik summiting Mt. Shasta in California at 14,179 ft, the 5th highest peak in California.
Name: Nikolaus Allan Benko
Hometown: Los Osos, California
Previous Degrees, Institutions: BS in Physics at the University of California Santa Barbara
Research Interests/Project: Measuring intraocular pressure during blast trauma
Interests outside of Research: Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Backpacking, Reading, Racing.
Tell us something about yourself that otherwise we wouldn’t know or guess: One summer I solo hiked the 220mile John Muir Trail from Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney
15 minutes of fame: During my junior year at UCSB two of my teammates and I flew out to North Carolina for the USA Cycling collegiate national mountain biking championship. We got back early on a Monday morning and I had a midterm later that day. I doubt the test went well but when I turned my phone back on after my test I had half a dozen messages from friends telling me a reporter for a major mountain biking website had put a few pictures of me and some kind words in his feature article about the race.
What can’t you live without: Coffee and my hiking shoes
Favorite place to eat in SLC or surrounding area: Sylvester’s Burgers in Los Osos, CA. Best burgers on earth, hands down
Favorite activity in SLC or surrounding area: I haven’t been able to get out much yet but I’d guess the mountain biking and rock climbing will be awesome
I’ve always wanted to: Go to space
Favorite quote: “Do or do not, there is no try.”