Do you have any pets?
Currently a dog (Ruby), 2 cats (Linus and Lucy), and a tarantula (Terry). In the past, we have had diverse pets, including rats, skunks, cockatiels, bobwhite quail, toads, and more.
When did you know that you wanted to be a scientist/mathematician?
As a child, I always enjoyed the outdoors, including the Atlantic coast beaches not far from my home and the woods and swamps behind my house. My interest in biology grew from that.
What advice would you give yourself at 20-years-old?
Travel! See the country and the world.
Who is your childhood hero?
My childhood mostly occurred during the 60s, and so I will note two who bookended that decade. First, John Kennedy certainly is on my list of childhood heroes. His assassination might be the first political event in my memory. And, a half-dozen years later, I was thrilled to watch Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon, as he fulfilled Kennedy’s quest: “We choose to go to the Moon…not because it is easy, but because it is hard.”
