| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | Visiting my family out of state. I had several cousins that lived a few states over and I always enjoyed seeing them and visiting my grandparent's farm which was nearby. Specifically, I remember the first real time I stayed up past midnight. I was traveling with my dad and we didn't leave until he got off work. We drove over seven hours to meet up with everyone. The most vivid part of this memory was when we stopped around 10:00 pm and found a pizza place. We ordered a pizza and I will never forget how it tasted and how I felt at that time. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | My maternal grandfather. He always had a great sense of optimism and that is something I carry with myself today. He was a great storyteller and the model for how I want to be a grandparent someday. He would always take my brother and me to the park when we would come and visit. He always had a smile on his face and a piece of candy for me. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Honesty. People who are able to identify clearly and know what they want in life have a huge advantage. This starts with someone being honest with them self. I also admire curiosity and the courage to ask questions. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | During my basic training in the Air Force we were issued a variety of clothing. I don't know why, but mine was all too big. I usually got by with putting my belt really tight but one day we had to complete an obstacle course and they told us we couldn't wear our belts for safety reasons. I tried to tell someone in charge that this wasn't going to be good for me but nothing happened. There was one part of the course where we had to low crawl through some standing water and then scale a wall. As I got through the water, my camouflage pants were very heavy. As I scaled the wall, my pants did not come with me and fell to my ankles. The cadre were laughing so hard they couldn't even yell at me. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would travel everywhere. Travel is already a big part of my life that I enjoy a lot. I have detailed travel plans that include transportation, lodging, and visa requirements for almost every country in the world. I have travel itineraries of various durations that, if I get the chance, I will complete at some time. The top three itineraries I have yet to complete include traveling through Central and Eastern Europe, traveling throughout Southeast Asia, and traveling to Australia and New Zealand. The main reason for travel is to see different cultures and experience new things. Seeing nature and historical sites are among my favorite things to do when visiting anywhere. Did I mention I like to travel? |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I would like to pass to them a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world. It is the main reason I became a scientist and I believe it is my greatest strength. I don't think I will get tired of answering when my child asks the question of why. As for a physical object, I would like to pass to them my class ring and my stories of my times playing college football. |
