My Journals

Who am I?

As an experiment support scientist for the NASA/Mir Fundamental Biology Program, I act as a representative for U.S. and Russian investigators whose experiments are to be performed aboard the Mir space station. My job is to understand each investigator's experiment and the goals of the experiment, and to make sure the experiment is conducted in a manner that will meet these goals.

Currently, I am responsible for two experiments, called Incubator II and Beetle, and represent a total of 13 principal investigators. The Incubator II experiment will study the effects of weightlessness on embryological development using Japanese Quail eggs. The Beetle experiment will investigate the effects of weightlessness on the Circadian Timing System of the Russian black-bodied beetle. The Circadian Timing System is the internal "clock" each of us has that controls such things as our sleep/wake cycle.

My Career Journey

I began working at NASA Ames Research Center in 1994 after graduating from the University of California, San Diego with a B.S. in Animal Physiology and Neuroscience. During college I did a lot of volunteer work, including work as a physical therapy aid at the UCSD Medical Center and as a lab tech at the Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species at the San Diego Zoo. Volunteering at the zoo was a great experience and one which I am sure helped to get me a job in the space program.

Likes/Dislikes About Career

There are many things I like about my job. Ever since I was young I've been intrigued by spaceflight and now I am able to participate in the joint U.S./Russian space program that will lay the groundwork for the International Space Station. I never could have imagined how much work goes into launching one space shuttle. I've been able to see the shuttle launch and land and have met astronauts. I also like the fact that I get to work with people from all over the United States and Russia and have the opportunity to travel to many places, including Moscow.

What I like least about my job is the amount of documentation that must be produced. It seems I spend a majority of my time typing on my computer.

Preparation for Career

When I was younger, I wanted to be everything from a baseball player to a fireman, to a dentist. In school, I did well in all subjects but science seemed most interesting to me. I'm a curious person who likes to know how things work and science seemed to be a way to satisfy this curiosity by constantly asking questions and working toward finding the answer.

My first year in college I took a zoology course that I enjoyed so much that I decided I wanted to study biology. A few years later I find myself using my knowledge of biology to work with spaceflight. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity.

Personal Information

I was born in San Jose, California in 1970 and lived in nearby Los Gatos until I went off to college. Los Gatos was a great place to grow up; it's within driving distance of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco. During college I lived in San Diego, which is another beautiful place. You can wear shorts all year around! After college I moved back to Los Gatos where I am living now and it's just a short drive to Mountain View where Ames Research Center is located.

I enjoy camping, fishing, bike riding, playing basketball with my friends and reading Tom Clancy books. I love all kinds of food, but Chinese and Mexican are my favorites. I've even just started my first garden with tomatoes and chili peppers so I can make my own salsa.

My mom and dad, Christie and Rod, also live in Los Gatos. I have an older sister, Rene, who lives in nearby San Jose with her husband, Greg, and two children, Jared and Erin. Jared is 4 years old and Erin is 9 months. Jared likes baseball, airplanes and French fries. I hope to take him to see a shuttle launch sometime.

My Plans and Goals

Eventually, I want to return to school to become a veterinarian. I can then combine my interest in science with my love of animals. I also hope to get a pilots' license so I can fly myself around. Perhaps one day I can return to the space program to be a veterinarian for animals flown to the International Space Station.