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Who am I? I am a
native Minnesotan, and have loved every minute of my time
here. In
addition to being passionate about teaching science and research, I
enjoy spending time with my family very much, outdoor activities in
general, including gardening and fishing, good classical choral music,
and a good game of pickup
basketball.
Where have I been? I
am
a
graduate of Mankato West High School in Mankato Minnesota.
From
there I travelled a short distance to Minnesota State University,
Mankato, where I obtained Bachelors of Science degrees in Plant Biology
and Biochemistry. After a short (ca. 4 years) but exciting time
working in industry at a start-up chromatography company (ZirChrom
Separations, Inc.), I pursued and obtained a Ph.D. in analytical
chemistry at the University of Minnesota, where I developed Fast,
Comprehensive Two-Dimensional High Performance Liquid Chromatography
under the mentoring of Professor Peter Carr. Most recently I was
a
post-doctoral resarch fellow in the Department of Medicine at the
University of Minnesota where I studied changes in the metabolite
profiles of individuals after lung transplantation, working with Dr.
Christine Wendt, M.D., and Professor Gary Nelsestuen. Over the
past
few years I have consulted for several companies including a law firm,
instrument companies, and biomedical device companies. All of
these
experiences
taken together have shaped my perspective on life and science, and in
particular my view of the importance of analytical chemistry in our
world.
What am I doing here? I
have
come
to Gustavus because I believe it is a great place to pursue
my interests in both teaching and research. In addition to the
rigorous course and laboratory work that goes on in chemistry, the
liberal arts environment allows us as teachers to present chemistry in
a broader context. As an analytical chemist, it allows me to
address
questions like: "Why should I care about chemical analysis? How
does our understanding of analytical methods affect society?" As
with other disciplines in chemistry and indeed
other
sciences, the liberal arts perspective provides a perfect opportunity
to connect otherwise disparate concepts such as the development of new
analytical instrumentation and human health (see link to 'Research' at
left). Finally, I believe that directed research is an
essential
component of a complete and effective undergraduate training in
chemistry; the recent HHMI and Merck/AAAS awards are
indicative of an
increasingly vibrant research program at Gustavus, and provide many
exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary research.
An Invitation:
If
anything
here
strikes you as generally interesting or you are
interested in research related to one of the topics discussed here (see
'Research' at left), feel free to drop a line or pay me a visit. |
