The sciences, and in particular physics and mathematics, have always interested me, even at a very early age, so I’ve always known that I wanted to become a scientist.  I started designing and building things early on.  As a kid, my favorite toys were things that I could use to create, and make experiments, such as a construction toys, chemistry and electronics kits, and optics.  Aviation held my interest for a long time, and I built many model airplanes of various types.  I’m still interested in learning to fly.  When I was in 5th grade, my family lived abroad for a year, and there I learned to play soccer.  I continued playing in the US on my high school team, and kept it up at a fairly serious amateur level all through graduate school.  It was a fun way to connect with students and colleagues from around the globe.  I was also fascinated with music from an early age.  That interest has only grown stronger and expanded over time.  I started playing the keyboard seriously in high school, and have been in bands ever since, playing gigs regularly, and composing music.  For many years now, outside of my professional life, composing, playing, recording, and simply enjoying music is one of the most important things in my life.