I was born in Omaha, Nebraska. I've pretty much bounced around the Midwest for school, going to Saint Louis University for undergrad and Kansas University and UMKC for grad school. Between KU and UMKC I taught organic chemistry and pharmacology at Midland University and College of Saint Mary. Eventually I returned to St. Louis where I currently live. My interests outside of chemistry include games of all kinds, fencing, art, scale modeling, and cooking.
|
|
MusicGrowing up in the Midwest in the late '90's-early 00's I spent a lot of time in music bars like The Ranch Bowl, The Beaumont Club, Mississippi Nights, Sokol Underground, and The Waiting Room going to $10 local artist concerts. I lived within walking distance of Saddle Creek in Omaha. Every weekend was a chance to see bands like Grasshopper Takeover, Pomeroy, Ludo, Swizzletree, Cursive, Five Story Fall, and Steve Ewing.
|
GamingI've always been a fan of video games, but my family didn't allow consoles since we had a home computer. However, portable systems were fine because they could be taken on family trips. As a result I grew up with Game Boy and Game Boy Advance. Pre-pandemic I started reacquiring some of the old games I had gotten rid of as well as exploring some I had missed. As a result I have a nice collection of portable Nintendo titles including Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch.
|
Why chemistry?
When I was a little boy I liked playing with bugs and wanted to play with bugs for a living (after losing interest in firefighter, astronaut, etc.) When I was looking into entomology, I kept asking how living things worked, then how cells worked; going smaller and smaller. When I got to chemistry, it gave me the answers I wanted and I decided to make it my career. I decided to focus on organic because it addressed topics concerning life, medicine, and naturally produced materials.