I was born in Germany, where my Dad was stationed in the Army.  By the time I was six, my family had settled in Neptune, New Jersey, which I consider my hometown.  I got my BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in May 1998.  In case you’ve never heard of RPI, it is in Troy, New York (which is about two hours north of New York City).  After I graduated from RPI I went to work on C-5 Airplanes for the Air Force.  During my time working for the Air Force, I completed my MS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

As I was finishing up work on my masters in the fall of 2000, I heard that JSC was hiring.  As it has always been a dream of mine to work for NASA, I was quick to apply for a job.  I felt very lucky when I was offered a job in the Crew and Thermal Systems Division.  I am working in Advanced Life Support (ALS) on both air and water recovery.  ALS is responsible for making sure that future astronauts will be able to survive in space, wherever they may go.  The big project I am working on right now involves recycling wastewater into drinking water using both biological and physical-chemical systems.

In my free time I love to play with my beagle puppy, play tennis, SCUBA dive and bike ride.  My first experience with JSC Education Outreach was during Engineers Week and I am looking forward to meeting you this summer.