I came to Whitman College in January 2004, after doing a PhD in physics and a postdoc in the lab of Brian Matthews at the University of Oregon. For my PhD, I studied the catalytic mechanism of E. coli beta-galactosidase using X-ray crystallography. As an outgrowth of this work, I became interested in the effects of cryo-cooling on protein crystals, which I pursued for my postdoc. Prior to Eugene I worked at a small boarding school called Carrabasset Valley Academy in the mountains of Maine (even people out here might think they're mountains). There I taught physics, chemistry and math and coached cycling and snowboarding. Prior to that I was at Cornell University where I got a bachelor's degree in physics and then spent a year coaching rowing. Prior to college I was born and raised in Maine.   This is part of the reason I'm certain the Red Sox are going to win the world series this year. Which they did!