How did you end up in the field you are in today? Who or what inspired you to pursue this career?
I entered the field of engineering in no small part because I watched Star Trek. I know it is a cliche, but I wanted to build interstellar vehicles. It seems that my current work is the next best thing. I really got started in this direction in 5th grade when my teacher took an interest in me as a student. I was the class clown. I didn't really like spelling and I was good at math and science. She asked me what I wanted to do in the future. I thought to myself that I want to be like those guys I see on Star Trek. With that she helped me see the importance of studying and really applying myself to achieve whatever goal I would like. Just a little push in the right direction! I later found my love of taking things apart. Because of this my mother introduced me to this amazing field of Engineering. Following the Star Trek theme, I wanted to be Geordi LaForge. Now, I know that this wasn't a reality, but engineering was. So I went to school at RPI: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.

Who are some of the people you look up to or admire?

I look up to my mother and how she is able to work with kids. She changes their lives, like she did mine. It is awe inspiring. There are so many others, but if I could just say, anyone that teaches or works with kids gets my admiration. I think that I work hard because they do.

What Mars-related projects are you currently involved in?

Right now, I am not working on a Mars related mission. After returning to the Jet Propulsion Lab from Kennedy Space Center, I started working on OSTM (Ocean Surface Topography Mission), a part of the Jason 2 Spacecraft. This is an ocean mapping spacecraft.

How do you conduct your work and what tools/technology do you use?

Mostly I use what I have learned in my life and what nature teaches us to do my work. Mechanical design is taking the requirements and creating a system that works and meets those requirements. It sounds really easy, but those requirements can produce a very complex set of factors that make a mechanical design almost impossible to achieve. This is where the job gets fun, at least for me. I get to be creative and use all that I have learned and the brains of the other engineers in the lab to produce something new that has never been tried. We use computers and anything else we can get our hands on. In terms of software we use the basic office tools and for design we use Computer Aided Design tools (CAD).

How does math factor into your work?

Math is just a language you speak to convey your ideas and designs. I seem to be good at it, but I have met lots of engineers that use math to get the point across, but it is not their strongest suit. But like all things, it is something you need to have a good grasp of to get the higher concepts of physics -- almost like building blocks. You have to walk before you run!

What have you learned so far?

I learn more everyday. Mars, like Earth, is an amazing planet. It challenges us in every way from temperature to atmosphere. With the discovery of water in the past on Mars -- wow -- it is just awesome. What happened to the water, and more importantly to me, could it happen here on Earth?

What do you like best about your job?

I like the fact that I get to create new things that will go to space. What can be cooler then that? I can say that I designed hardware on the surface of Mars. There are not a lot of people on Earth that can say that!

What are the most common misconceptions that people have about what you do?

I think the most common misconception that people have about engineers is a stereotype of how engineers look and what they do in their off time. The pocket protector and the glasses with tape on them and the homebody look. I haven't seen all the things that my colleges do, but I know in the last few years we have had one of our engineers on Survivor and another friend married a Survivor. I think that we are just regular people with very extraordinary jobs. We all get to have fun at work!

What's the favorite place you've been so far?

My favorite place to go and work has to be the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was just a great experience. And to see so many launches.

What was the strangest or most incredible thing that happened to you while conducting your work?

I was in Alaska working on the Free Flying Magnetometer, an instrument designed to study the Aura Borealis or "Northern Lights" when it was very very cold. A person I met told me that if you took a pot of water and let it boil, took it outside and threw it into the air it wouldn't touch the ground, it would evaporate! I didn't believe this and I tried it, it worked. I must have done this 15 times. It was really cold, -40 F for the whole time I was there.

What were your favorite books as a kid? Why?

Chose you own adventure books -- because there was always a different ending. I also liked fantasy books, Star Wars and Star Trek.

What was your favorite subject when you were in middle school?

My favorite subject was science in middle school. I just had this desire to understand how all things worked. It was so interesting to learn about biology and the body that I was hooked. I also had fun in math class, but that is because it came easy to me and not to my sister. I used to have to tutor her. To her credit, she helped me with English. I still can't spell.

What did you think you were going to be when you grew up?

I thought I would be an engineer working for NASA. Wow, I am doing that!

Never give up, and always ask for help when you don't understand. If you are lost at the beginning of class, think of how bad it will be at the end of class! It is not un-cool to ask for help or a tutor. Second, follow your dreams; make them a reality, it makes for the best feeling in the world to have achieved your dreams.

Why do you think it is important for students to make comparisons between Earth and Mars, and what can we hope to learn by doing that? Why explore the solar system in general and Mars specifically?

The answer to that is a question, "What happened to Mars?" What I mean by this is that if Mars was once like Earth with lakes and oceans, what happened to them? Does this mean the same thing could happen to Earth? If that isn't a reason to look to the stars and understand what is happening, I don't know what is!

What one thing would you most like students to learn from participating in JASON Expedition: Mysteries of Earth and Mars?

That the search for knowledge is a task that continues throughout your life, and a day without learning something new is a lost day!

What advice would you give to students who are interested in studying science? What are some of the diverse careers associated with the work that you do?

Studying science and engineering is not a job, it really is a passion. If you like science, math, and the pursuit of knowledge, this is a very rewarding field. In terms of careers, engineers and scientists create, invent, and produce. I don't know what we don't do. The amount of arenas you can go into are so vast, it is mind-boggling.

When you are not working, what do you like to do for fun?

Well, I play ice hockey and have played since I was young. I also play football and basketball with friends. We have started to play poker from time to time as well as just hanging out and talking about life. I ride a motorcycle and have started, in the last year, racing on the track. I go to the movies when I have time and enjoy the mountains for skiing and just to get out of the city.

Any final thoughts, words of advice, personal philosophy?

If you shoot for the stars and you miss by millions of miles, you still are better off then the person that never attempted to start. And if you never fail, then you didn't push the envelope far enough!