I am an engineer, both by education and by mode of thought. Hard problems are fun to think about for me, and solving them is even better. I identify with JFK's famous speech at Rice University, because I enjoy tackling the hard things. I do whatever it takes to make things happen, whether that be pouring hours of time into focusing on details of a design, learning a new programming language, modifying my own prototypes on a mill or a lathe, or reading countless research papers with the hope of identifying a fresh methodology to apply to a problem.

My degree is a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, with an Energy Systems certificate and a minor in Entrepreneurship, but by no means does that limit how I apply things I've learned as an engineer. Engineering discussions carry over to the water cooler where they shift to other topics: business, economics, music, literature, athletics. Elements of these all live in each other, and success belongs to those who can connect the dots in novel ways, or before others do. I pride myself on trying to draw those lines, and doing so as quickly as possible. These are the things that we choose to do because they are hard, and these are the things about which I am passionate.

Since childhood, I have always been inclined to build. It started with "cathedrals" made from wooden blocks, followed shortly thereafter by Lincoln Logs and LEGO. Elementary school science fair projects consisted of Morse code setups and homemade electric motors with help from Dad and Grandpa. I got my hands on LEGO Mindstorms as soon as I could, learning to program and (although I didn't realize it at the time) design systems. In high school, I expanded my horizons: brake jobs on my first car, tuning skis and snowboards, reglassing a surfboard, replacing a bicycle derailleur. College brought with it involvement in Formula SAE - my first true machine shop experience.

I didn't let my curiosity end there. I was drawn to microcontrollers and the Arduino IDE; I learned to solder, use an oscilloscope, and design simple circuits. A graduate school class in mechatronics pushed me one step further, allowing me to take the skills learned when building an Arduino-controlled temperature chamber and bring them to work, giving me the ability to evaluate control electronics PCBs to determine functionality.

I don't plan to stop making. Armed with my dry-erase notebook, a soldering iron, and a black-background text editor, I'm diving deeper into the world of SoCs, mechatronics, and programming. I truly value my maker journey and the skills it has provided me.

My energy doesn't stay at my desk. It follows me out of the back door of the office and onto the trails. I enjoy adventures away from work as much as I enjoy them at work, and my enthusiasm crosses from one arena into the other. Lunchtime games of pick-up soccer, post-work singletrack rides with coworkers, catching the first chair up the mountain on a January morning, and weekend paddling trips keep me fresh and smiling right through the weekend and into Monday.

Nature can be equal parts leisure and inspiration. The natural world holds engineering secrets that can evoke great thought during those hikes and bike rides. Logarithmic spirals are abound in galaxies and seashells, and the Wright Brothers studied the flight of birds tirelessly to better understand the manipulation of control surfaces for flight.