STEM education teaches us the tools we need to ask “why” and then figure it out ourselves. Nothing is beyond the scope of our brains if we devote enough energy to understanding it.
Give us 3-5 adjectives that describe you…
Quick to laugh, puzzle lover, easy going, logical, and organized
Briefly describe your job… what do you really do at EL?
I improve and maintain the code that makes up our websites and apps. I squash bugs and make improvements.
What do you like about working at EL?
The people. I have been with EL for almost a dozen years and many of my fellow developers were here when I started. We have a great team at EL that people really enjoy being a part of.
What's the most seriously fun thing you've ever done?
My wife and I, along with some friends, spent a few weeks last summer driving all over southern Germany and Austria. We did an alpine coaster in the most beautiful Austrian Alps setting and that was a blast.
Tell us about one of your STEM mentors. Who inspired you, and how?
Douglas Adams, the author of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Adams loved technology and was an early adopter of just about anything he could get his hands on. That said he always approached each piece of technology with a healthy sense of irreverence. He managed to be both excited about something while at the same time questioning it. In my opinion this is mindset we should all strive to see the world and technology through.
What big STEM accomplishment do you think we’ll see happen in the next 100 years, and why are you excited about it?
Stable nuclear fusion will change everything; it will radically evolve energy. It will be more efficient than nuclear fission and produce none of the radioactive waste. It will play a big part in getting humanity off of fossil fuels and help save this planet. Additionally, along a longer timeline, will be instrumental in getting humanity to other planets.
Why is STEM education important, in your personal opinion?
STEM education teaches us the tools we need to ask “why” and then figure it out ourselves. Everything can be questioned and understood using the tools a STEM education imparts on a student. Nothing is beyond the scope of our brains if we devote enough energy to understanding it.
Time travel… past or future?
Future, I love science fiction too much not to want to see the future!
Artificial intelligence… friend or foe?
Neither tool. The same way any tool can be used for good or bad the same hold true for AI. It is not the technology we need to be wary of but those using it.
Chemistry or Biology
Biology
Algebra or Geometry
Geometry, I love the logic puzzle of a good geometry problem. QED.
Learn a language or learn how to code
I already know how to code so I would have to say language.
Deep space or deep sea
Space, the final frontier
Bill Nye or Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Bill Nye, amazing human being
Einstein or Newton
Einstein
Star Wars or Star Trek
Star Wars, the first franchise I loved as a kid. Books, comics, action figures, video games; I had it all.
Keyboard or Paper + Pencil
Both
Playlists or podcasts
Comedy podcasts are my go to
In the classroom… Front row or back row
Second row, near the front but less likely to be cold called
Who's next?