Activities

Activities

Here you can explore some of my non-science activities, from acting and singing to hiking, traveling, and even making maps. Every once in a while I find the time to do something completely unrelated to my labwork; I find it helps me to stay balanced, happy, focused, and even makes me more productive when I return to my science. Enjoy!

Theater

Since I discovered theater in my sophomore year of high school, I've done just about as much acting as I can possibly balance with my academic work, and helped run the Caltech student theater group during my PhD. I especially like musical theater, but I'm not picky. A favorite recent role was Captain Kirk in Boldly Go!, a musical parody of Star Trek written by a fellow Caltech grad student. Other recent roles include the Emcee in Cabaret at the Davis Musical Theater Company, Collins in RENT, April in Company, Ferdinand in The Tempest, and Jack in Into the Woods.

Singing

After fifteen years playing classical piano, I've turned my musical efforts to singing, mostly in stage musicals and a cappella groups. At Davidson I sang for three years with the Nuances, and at Caltech I sang with Fluid Dynamics, an a cappella group, for five years (check out our Facebook page and our videos). While at Harvard, I sang with the Boston Gay Men's Chorus.

Hiking

My love of the outdoors started in the majestic and verdant landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, but everywhere I've traveled since, I've made sure to explore the scenery and surround myself with whatever natural beauty I can find. For more pictures, check out my gallery of recent hikes.

Travel

My education, research, and love of exploration have taken me to many diverse parts of the country and the world - including 45 US states and 26 countries. From an early age, I was taught that immersive travel is one of the best ways to learn about the world around us, and to see the world from others' perspectives. I still believe that to be true, and travel whenever I get the chance. For more pictures, check out my travel gallery.

Cartography

I've loved geography and maps for as long as I can remember, and I've sometimes tried to make my own. (Now I even get to do so professionally every once in a while, with my global transport modeling). I also curate a map blog.