Welcome!
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Launch of Space Shuttle STS-107!
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Come join me in the Grand Canyon!
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or on the Big Island of Hawaii (Dolphins and Whales and Sea Turtles, oh My!)
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My Music Compositions on MacJams.com
I grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to California to do graduate school at Berkeley in 1981. I now live with my honey Hania and our cats in Marin, California among wonderful hills, redwoods and streams. I love to walk in the hills and sometimes climb Mount Tamalpais from my house.
I love to dance. I frequent the free-style
dance
events in the Bay Area, where people who really love to dance
just dance. I've been doing this since 1983, which leads to my
car license plate: DANCEBE. If you need it explained, take it as
an injunction. (I've attained the Californian ideal: I've summed
up my life philosophy on my license plate!) (Well, OK, I would
rather have had BEDANCE, but it was taken).
I have strong interests in US foreign policy, and Chinese culture
and politics holds a special charm for me. I also like to study
world religions, as a window of understanding into people and how
we work. I enjoy classic science fiction and poetry, particularly
Rilke.
I work at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain view on the Kepler mission, where I'm "lead mathematician" on the science team. Prior to that I had a short stint working on numerical methods for non-linear evolution equations. Further in the past I had a good run helping to pioneer applications of virtual reality to scientific visualization. All of that was at NASA. If you're curious about the details, take a look at my circa early 2005 CV
I have many interests. My formal training is in mathematical physics, particularly the application of geometry and topology to classical and quantum field theories. Though it's been a while since I've taken classes in these subjects I try to keep up by reading. My main focii are general relativity and the classical structure of gauge theories. These interests have an outlet in the adult-education courses I teach at the California Academy of Sciences (when I have the time). I have a strong interest in astronomy and astrophysics, and own a 12.5" Mead dobsonian reflector.
Course notes from my classes can be found here.
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