How long have you lived in Maine?
Since ’91, so 17 years. I moved here for this job; before that I worked in engineering consulting in the Boston area, and before that I grew up in Minnesota.
So you’re used to the cold, I guess.
Yep, this is tropical by comparison.
What led you to choose your major as an undergraduate?
I just liked it, it was interesting. It’s not like there was a job I had in mind and I needed this training to get there. I went as an undergrad with kind of a blank slate and took a bunch of things and found this very interesting. And I’ve always liked math and science.
Did you initially want to teach?
No, it just kind of evolved. I kept going back to school because I liked to learn. Eventually I ended up getting two Master’s degrees and a PhD in part because I was sort of addicted to learning. And then I did consulting for quite a while. I’m really kind of a nerd. I like mathematics and computer modeling, and so on. In engineering consulting, you’re always solving the problem at hand, and it’s not quite as creative, so that’s what kind of motivated me to come back. I had sampled teaching as a teaching assistant. That was fun, and you feel like you’re doing good for other people. It’s rewarding to see students go through the degree program and then go out and land a much more enjoyable career as a result, so that’s been quite satisfying. I can look back on those years and there are dozens of students who are now working in engineering or geology consulting companies.
Is that your favorite part about teaching?
Just the interacting and spreading that enthusiasm for learning and how things work, and seeing others get excited about it. That definitely is good.
What’s your favorite book?
It’s hard to pick one, but of books I’ve read recently, “Peace like a River,” by Leif Enger. It’s about a family in the Dakotas and miraculous things happen to the father and it boils down to the meaning of life. It’s just a very intriguing tale told in a very interesting way. It’s quasi-natural, quasi-supernatural, and I liked it a lot. I could have picked my own book, but I’d rather read other people’s words.
Was your book about geology?
Yes, it’s about groundwater: “Groundwater Science.”
What’s your favorite season?
That’s funny, my sons were asking me that this morning. One son, he’s learning Chinese, and he said “I love summer” in Chinese, and then he asked me “what’s your favorite season?” And I told him I like them all. But if I had to pick a favorite, I suppose fall. But I really like cross-country skiing and skating on a pond, so winter can be excellent too.