I started teaching in 1996 in a course for which I was completely unsuited by either interest or prior preparation:  computer architecture and assembly language on the x86 platform.  I had had one course as an undergraduate on 68000 series processors and it had been eleven years since I had done any assembly language programming.  I worked like a devil one summer to prepare, and this experience of deep preparation has stood me in good stead throughout the rest of my teaching career.

 

Over the years I have expanded my repertoire to courses I am better qualified to teach as well as some I only realized how unqualified I was after I teaching revealed to me my own depth of ignorance.  But as one wag once said:  "What is the difference between a teacher and a student?  Twenty four hours if you are lucky."  My overall philosophy of education has evolved significantly over the years.  While I started out focusing on teaching and developing engaging lectures, I have come to understand that supporting learning requires more than content knowledge and performance; it demands negotiating the delicate balance between engaging students, creating effective learning environments, and making content approachable.  If I have one heuristic for teaching it is "We Become What We Do".

 

Partial List of Educational Activities:

• The LASER CULT:  The photonics course series I developed while at Oklahoma State University

• The Design Commons:  A design environment for electrical engineering.

• Engineering Mathematics Course:  A freshman course teaching mathematics from an engineering perspective.

• You Tube Videos:  Free public videos on photonics and other topics.

Developing my professional persona was a long journey, and there have been a lot of detours along the road, with the "imp of the perverse" trying to steer me down the road to ruin more often than not.  As as result of my rather random walk through life--as I suspect for most people--I define myself many different ways depending on who I am with and what I am doing.  The section below outlines some of these other personas...

 

At this stage in my life I am increasingly defining myself in terms of my family- wife Karen, daughter Kate, son Aiden, and my dogs Brigit (now deceased) and Sorcia.  Having a family was something we planned, sort of, but being a father slowly grows to take over more and more one's identity.

 

Picasa Photo Albums:

• Doing Hard Time in Oklahoma

•  Washington DC

• Trip to Disney World

• Maryland Renaissance Faire

 

Stories of Family Adventures:

• Wedding Web Site

• My Baby Blog

 

Mark Helprin, in Winter's Tale, said something along the lines of the two pillars that underlie anyone's life are shame and love.  This has always seemed true to me, and at no time are these emotions stronger than when one is young.  I grew up mainly in the Panama Canal Zone, a socialist community that worked.  It offered me a group of friends, a outlook on the world, and lifelong connections to acquaintances that I cannot otherwise imagine.  I went to college at Rice University that offered equal doses of rigor and madness in the time New Wave was popular.   Staying at Rice far too long for my own good, I left youth behind when I moved to Stillwater Oklahoma, and my professional phase started.

 

If I was really dedicated to my professional persona I probably wouldn't let much get in the way of its dominance.  But the Imp of the Perverse (according to Wikipedia "a metaphor for the common tendency, particularly among children and miscreants, to do exactly the wrong thing in a given situation") seems to still be strong in my and so my professional life is studded with bad miscalculations, times I rebel against doing the right thing, or simply choosing to throw gasoline on the fire.  Or, as H.L. Mencken so aptly put it "Every man must be tempted at time to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and start slitting throats."

 

• The Self Assessment letter I submitted to the Dean after achieving tenure (the photo above is my post tenure haircut)

• Trying to "creatively bargain" our way into a new spectrometer

• My editorial call for banning meetings three days of the week.

• The bumper sticker I made for the 2008 presidential elections (compared to the real thing)

 

Although I try to keep it hidden I am a geek at heart and admit I spent too much time in high school playing Dungeons & Dragons.  I still read science fiction and fantasy for fun, and become unapproachable and distant when I am in the middle of a good book.  While I still enjoy pencil and paper role playing games, lately I have to fight hard against spending too much time in electronic games (particularly MMORPGs).

 

• My character on World of Warcraft

•  Videos on the power of games for education

• My attempt at writing a science fiction story

 

Until I graduated from Balboa High School I never really defined myself in any physical sense, hated gym class, and had bad acne to boot.  However in college I realized I had to get more serious about physical activity and took up running and weight lifting, albeit on an irregular basis.  However the first sport I ever tried that I really loved was bike racing and spent a lot of graduate school doing collegiate racing.  I have kept up riding to this date, and still try to get in at least 100 miles a week.  I also took Tae Kwon Do in grad school and when I was a post-doc, and eventually earned a brown belt.  I never much liked competitions though.

 

I am an Aquarius, born in the Year of the Dragon, and INTP by the Myers-Briggs.

 

Year of the Dragon

Occupying the 5th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Dragon is the mightiest of the signs. Dragons symbolize such character traits as dominance and ambition. Dragons prefer to live by their own rules and if left on their own, are usually successful. They’re driven, unafraid of challenges, and willing to take risks. They’re passionate in all they do and they do things in grand fashion. Unfortunately, this passion and enthusiasm can leave Dragons feeling exhausted and interestingly, unfulfilled.

While Dragons frequently help others, rarely will they ask for help. Others are attracted to Dragons, especially their colorful personalities, but deep down, Dragons prefer to be alone. Perhaps that is because they’re most successful when working alone. Their preference to be alone can come across as arrogance or conceitedness, but these qualities aren’t applicable. Dragons have tempers that can flare fast!  Dragons will give into love, but won’t give up their independence. Because they have quick, sometimes vengeful tempers, their partners need to be tough-skinned. Dragons enjoy others who are intriguing, and when they find the right partners, they’ll usually commit to that person for life.  Wood Dragons also are willing to entertain the opinions of others. Their artistic side is strong, and Wood Dragons enjoy being creative and innovative. They get along with others, but will always be the dominating force.  (Copied from here)

 

Aquarius 

Those born under this sign have the social conscience needed to carry us into the new millennium. These folks are humanitarian, philanthropic and keenly interested in making the world a better place. Along those lines, they'd like to make the world work better, which is why they focus much of their energy on our social institutions and how they work (or don't work). Aquarians are visionaries, progressive souls who love to spend time thinking about how things can be better. They are also quick to engage others in this process, which is why they have so many friends and acquaintances. Making the world a better place is a collaborative effort for Aquarians.  Their thought process is also inventive and original. While Aquarians are happy to bestow these ideas as a gift with no strings attached, they are much happier when the rest of the world agrees with them. Naysayers will quickly find out that Aquarians can be impatient, even temperamental, with those who disagree.  Even though Aquarians are happy to give, and they do, it's often on their terms and within their comfort level. Generally, that means ample space, since these folks are freedom-loving and individualistic and need to roam. While Aquarians are generally sympathetic and compassionate, they like it when things go their own quirky way. Some might call their behavior eccentric.   (Copied from here)

 

INTP

As an INTP, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you deal with things rationally and logically. Your secondary mode is external, where you take things in primarily via your intuition. INTPs live in the world of theoretical possibilities. They see everything in terms of how it could be improved, or what it could be turned into. They live primarily inside their own minds, having the ability to analyze difficult problems, identify patterns, and come up with logical explanations. They seek clarity in everything, and are therefore driven to build knowledge. They are the "absent-minded professors", who highly value intelligence and the ability to apply logic to theories to find solutions. They typically are so strongly driven to turn problems into logical explanations, that they live much of their lives within their own heads, and may not place as much importance or value on the external world.

 

INTPs approach problems and theories with enthusiasm and skepticism, ignoring existing rules and opinions and defining their own approach to the resolution. They seek patterns and logical explanations for anything that interests them. They're usually extremely bright, and able to be objectively critical in their analysis. They love new ideas, and become very excited over abstractions and theories. They love to discuss these concepts with others. They may seem "dreamy" and distant to others, and they hate to work on routine things - they would much prefer to build complex theoretical solutions, and leave the implementation of the system to others.  INTPs do not like to lead or control people. They're very tolerant and flexible in most situations, unless one of their firmly held beliefs has been violated or challenged, in which case they may take a very rigid stance. The INTP is likely to be very shy when it comes to meeting new people. On the other hand, the INTP is very self-confident and gregarious around people they know well.

 

The INTP has no understanding or value for decisions made on the basis of personal subjectivity or feelings. They strive constantly to achieve logical conclusions to problems, and don't understand the importance or relevance of applying subjective emotional considerations to decisions. For this reason, INTPs are usually not in-tune with how people are feeling, and are not naturally well-equipped to meet the emotional needs of others. The INTP is usually very independent, unconventional, and original. They are not likely to place much value on traditional goals such as popularity and security. They usually have complex characters, and may tend to be restless and temperamental. They are strongly ingenious, and have unconventional thought patterns which allows them to analyze ideas in new ways. Consequently, a lot of scientific breakthroughs in the world have been made by the INTP.