Grad+Fellows+Web+Pages

study science/ engrg? || Who has been influential in your academic pursuits? || What are your hopes for NDeRC? || Advisor || Hometown || Under Grad Degree/Yr || Under Grad Univ || Favorite Sport/ Hobby/ Website || Favorite Experiment/ Natural Phenom/ Technology || happy. I would find a desk job very tedious and lab work keeps me on my feet and active at work. || Mary Ann McDowell - my mentor and advisor has been a great source of information, encouragement, and motivation. Also, my family has been very supportive, flexible, and understanding. || I hope that students get the impression that science is fun and that the scientific process is important not only in the classroom, but in their everyday lives. || Dr. Mary Ann McDowell || Evanston, Illinois || Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, 1995 || University of Illinois at Chicago || When it is warm out, I like gardening and grow small fruits, veggies, and 15 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. During the colder months, I switch gears and bake bread, cook hearty meals, and brew the occasional batch of beer. || My favorite experiements are the ones that seem overwhelmingly difficult to pull off, but then give you "hollywood" results when you least expect it.
 * Name || Why
 * Doug Berry || Every child grows up asking their parents why are things the way they are and how things work. Science is just the continuation of that idea. || My mother was an engineer and my dad was a chemist. I guess science was always in my blood. However, I did grow up watching bad science fiction movies from the 1950's, where the scientist always saves the day and gets the girl. || To show students that advanced physics is not something that is impossibly hard to do, anyone can understand the basics. I also want to show students that the universe is more interesting than it appears at first glance. || Dr. Colin Jessop || Midland, MI || BS Pysics, 2007 || University of Michigan || I regularly train in Aikido. Aikido is a modern martial art that is based on classical Japanese's swordsmanship. I also like to bike, play soccer, and run. I also occasionally play softball, which I am terrible at. || I think quantum mechanics is pretty freaky. It is a very counter intuitive theory, e.g. Bell's theorem, tunneling, and virtual particles. However, black holes are pretty cool too. ||
 * Ryan Connaughton || I've always had a strong interest in computers/technology; ever since I was a child I've been curious to see what new projects I could take on with my computer. The field of computer science is evolving at such a rapid pace, that there are always opportunities to try new ideas and create your own applications for technology. || My family has always placed a strong emphasis on the importance of academics, and my father's knowledge of computers helped expose me to computer science at an early age. || I hope to encourage students to think outside of the box when it comes to technology. With new technologies becoming available every year, there are many opportunities to do great things if you begin explore the possibilities. || Dr. Kevin W. Bowyer & Dr. Patrick J. Flynn || Orchard Park, NY || BS Computer Science, 2006 || University of Notre Dame || I'm a self-taught guitarist since high school; Nothing special, but I've performed at some of the Notre Dame/SMC venues as a student... I'm also a big fan of Google (who isn't?). || It's not really related to my field of study, but I've always been awed by the stars. ||
 * Brighid Corcoran || I've enjoyed science since I was a child and it's more interesting than English. || Dr. Wayne Hildebrandt - Northern Arizona University || Inspire kids to see that science is fun. || Dr. Marya Lieberman || Scottsdale Arizona || BS Chemistry, 2003 || Northern Arizona University || Blogging, Playing the game Last Chaos, reading || My fav. exp is still from my time in Arizona where I did studies on Chernobyl soil Samples ||
 * Jill Dzurisin || I've never really wanted to do anything else. I like searching out answers and questioning why things happen, and I love that my job is to ask the "why questions." || Several people, most notably two high school teachers: Joe Lynch (biotechnology) and Mike Ellison (chemistry). They brought research into our classrooms and I learned rather quickly that science was much more than memorizing facts. I also had several fantastic professors at Linfield College who encouraged me to conduct research and teach. || I want to help bring research into local classrooms, since that had a huge effect on me when I was in high school. I also want to gain experience in teaching science because I want to pursue a career with education at its core. || Dr. Holly Goodson || Vancouver, WA || BS chemistry, 2003 || Linfield College || I love music! I sing in the Women's Liturgical Choir at ND. I also love attending concerts and watching indie films. || I think my favorite experimental technique is microscopy. To think that 60 years ago the microtubule spindle that separates chromosomes during mitosis was considered an 'artifact of fixation' blows my mind. ||
 * Annette Raigoza || I didn't think I wanted to study science at first, but soon figured out that it was the only thing that made sense to me and I really enjoyed. || Without a doubt, Dr. Jeanne V. Russell. She was my college general chemistry professor. I loved the way she taught and she really pushed me in class. When I decided to switch majors, she took me under her wing. I still talk to her and get advice from her all the time. || My hope is two-fold. For myself: I want to be a better teacher and a better scientist. For the students: I want them to take an interest in science, and enjoy it, even if they don't decide to pursue it as a career. || Dr. Alex Kandel || Odessa, TX || B.S. Chemistry, 2002 || University of Texas of the Permian Basin || I like knitting and crocheting. I'm currently making baby blankets for friends. I also like to read, currently Stephen King. || The Aurora Borealis is just amazing. ||
 * Joe Ribaudo || science is fun! || Two people come to mind. Bill Kilmartin, my high school physics teacher, was able to make physics look not only intersting, but extremely fun and exciting. Dr. Anthony LoBello was my mathematics advisor at Allegheny College. His teaching style and interaction with students has motivated me to pursue a career in academia. || My hope is to provide the same guidance I received when I was a beginning scientist to the students and teachers I am able to interact with. || Dr. Chris Howk || Falconer, NY || BS Physics, Math 2005 || Allegheny College || I enjoy playing ultimate frisbee. || The universe on a whole is a pretty impressive thing. ||
 * James Whitcomb || I love working in a lab. The hands-on experimentation mixed with the thrill of getting good results keeps me

I've recently set up some honey bee hives and am awed at how cool the bees are. The building of honeycomb, collection of pollen, and harvesting of nectar is quite a natural phenomenon and will likely take me years to fully appreciate. There are too many cool technologies out there to pick a favorite. I guess what is most striking to me is the pace of advancement. For example, as an undergraduate, the World Wide Web was just beginning and the PCR earned Kary Mullis a Nobel prize. Now, as a graduate student, I can walk into a coffee shop, wirelessly access the internet, and access the genetic code of so many species. ||