Physics major Matthew (Matt) Kafker is a dedicated university student who earned several academic awards as a high school student at Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts. Passionate about travel, Matt Kafker has visited several other countries, including the island country of Barbados.Generally, the climate in Barbados is warm, with daytime highs between 75 and 85 degrees. However, the area does experience wet and dry seasons that impact the things tourists can enjoy on their vacations. Typically, the best time to visit Barbados is between July and November. While there is rain during these months, prices are much lower, and visitors can enjoy several key events, including the Reef Bowl and the Crop Over Festival.When winter starts, prices on the island increase. December through April, Barbados sees the largest number of tourists. Hurricane season is over in these months, so the improved weather draws even more people.In May and June, temperatures are comfortable, but crowds begin decreasing. Hurricane season begins, which results in lower hotel and air travel prices and smaller crowds.
An honors graduate of Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, Matthew (“Matt”) Kafker currently pursues university studies in mathematics, physics, and literature. To further his understanding of science, Matt Kafker reads a number of different authors who focus on subjects like physics, including James Gleick. Known for his books Chaos and The Information, James Gleick published Time Travel: A History in 2016. Named one of the best books of the year by both The Boston Globe and The Atlantic, Time Travel looks at the concept of moving through time through the lens of both popular culture and science. From its origins in literature when the very idea seemed ludicrous to modern debates among physicists and technologists, Gleick looks at how the public perception of time travel has evolved and the boundary between fiction and reality has shifted.What makes Gleick’s narrative about time travel so compelling is the way in which he relates it to the modern age of connectivity and instantaneous experience. He relates the obsession with time travel to the all-consuming present moment in a way that will make people think about the world in new terms.
Matthew (Matt) Kafker graduated from Middlesex School in Massachusetts and is currently working toward a bachelor’s degree. One of his passions outside of class is mindfulness meditation, an interest that he explores through the podcast 10% Happier. This podcast is the outgrowth of Dan Harris’ book of the same name. Recently, Dan Harris has helped in the development of a 10% Happier meditation app that has already raised about $5 million in funding.The 10% Happier app is tailored for people who do not buy into the idea of meditation. In many ways, the app is aimed at people like Harris, who was a skeptic until he experienced a panic attack while on air as an anchorman. He decided he needed to try something new and he documents his journey in the 10% Happier book.Originally, the app went by the name Change Collective and sought Harris out to design a single course for meditators. Because his course was so different from the others developed, the app brought him on board as a co-founder and rebranded itself.
