Education

B.S. Biology with a minor in Chemistry – (2008)
University of Utah

Interests

Having spent most of my life in Utah I have acquired the addiction that afflicts many of those who frequent this region: that of the light and fluffy Utahan powder. Another hobby that seems to take up most of my free time also stems from the precipitation. I eagerly check the snowpack in anticipation for it to melt. Once the run-off happens, I change focus, hop in my kayak and follow the river downstream. Family and friends may not see me for the following few months. They have learned to deal with this.

 

Research Interests

Being a Biologist, I am fascinated with the world around me, particularly with how complicated nature can be. But, when thought about from an evolutionary viewpoint, the complex biological processes and structures really came about through one random mutation after another, which in theory should leave the mechanisms for these amazingly complex structures/processes as relatively simply ones. The internal structures of many of the beetle scales that we have worked with in this lab illustrate this    point particularly well.
 My current research is involved in uncovering bio-mimetic routes to synthetically create the photonic structures found in the scales of many beetles from around the world. You’ll either find me in our photonics research laboratory mixing up various solutions or in the SEM looking at the nanostructures that I have created.