Well for starters, I was born and raised in Racine, WI.   After graduating high school, I left the great state of Wisconsin(what was I thinking?) to attend the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.  While there, I recieved my BS in chemistry while conducting research under the direction of Professor Richard Hsung.  I also worked as a tech aide at 3M for a few years during this time.  While I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Twin Cities, I decided to move to Chambana to pursue a PhD in chemistry.  I am currently in my 4th year here and have had the oppurtunity to conduct some very interesting research.  In a nutshell, my research involves the use of living/controlled polymerization methods to design novel materials for a number of applications in nanotechnology.  When I'm not in the lab, I spend a most of my time with my fiance and our son.  I also play on a softball team with other people from the chemistry department and brew some tasty beer.