What I Do
I teach engineering (materials science and nanotechnology) to college and graduate students. I also participate in research-- experiments on how light interacts with materials and structures a thousand times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
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Why Engineering?
It took me a while to find engineering -- I studied physics in school, but discovered that the connections of materials properties to applications were what really interested me.
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My Day At Work
A typical day starts with e-mail; perhaps to schedule the rest of the day, or to catch up on things with people in Europe with whom I have projects. During the school year, I typically give a lecture, meet with students, and plan homework and lab activities each day. I also spend some time in the lab, helping students with their experiments, and doing some of my own. Most days, there's some paperwork, though I often work on that at home in the evening.
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The Best Part of Being an Engineer
I like the real-world applications - the fact that something I do can be of use in the wider world.
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Proud Moments
Professionally, I am most pleased about the students I have helped to realize their intellectual and/or personal goals.
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Challenges
I have largely overcome my fear of public speaking (!).
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My Family
I have been married for 20 years to a Swede I met while I was at a conference in Stockholm (longish story). We have three wonderful children.
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Dreams and Goals
Short-term goals include a modest expansion of my research program, and long-term goals include writing a book.
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Inspiration
There are many people who contributed -- my parents, who are both academic scientists, one of my first college professors, some of the graduate students with whom I spent a lot of time….
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Hobbies
I am a commercially rated instructor pilot, and have taught people to fly for several years, and have done aerobatics. It is a wonderful challenge both intellectually and physically. I am also an avid (if infrequent) windsurfer -- the constantly changing interplay between the wind, the waves and the rig, which can be in perfect dynamic balance, is something I find irresistible.
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Want to be an Engineer?
Believe in yourself, and pay attention in math class, even if it seems irrelevant…. Amazingly useful stuff, math!
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School Days
I went to Dartmouth as an undergraduate (A.B. in Physics) and to Cornell (M.S. and PhD in Physics) for graduate school.
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