I received my PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University. My dissertation was on the targeted synthesis of lanthanum manganite nanomatierals for magnetic refrigeration applications. I used a modified Pechini sol-gel synthesis and characterized the resultant nanoparticles using vibrating sample magnetometery, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and a variety of other techniques. I am a dreamer and a "MacGyver," never short on new ideas or creative solutions. I pick up instrumentation quickly and rapidly develop the competence and confidence to pass those skills on to others, make repairs, and develop novel ways of applying instrumentation. I received my B.S. in Chemistry with an ACS Certified Biochemistry Emphasis from Boise State University where I conducted research on the alkaloids present in Veratrum californicum.https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6053-6865