I am currently an Adjunct Professor and Astronomy Lab Coordinator at the University of Iowa Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. I grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa and came to the University of Iowa in 1995, where I earned bachelor's degrees in Physics, Astronomy, Math and Philosophy. I then spent several years teaching at community colleges in the area, then returned to the UI to earn my Ph.D in Physics with a dissertation on observations of the radio coronae of close binary star systems, specifically Algol (the demon star) and UX Arietis.

I continue my research into the magnetic fields of radio-loud stars. I greatly enjoy teaching, and am working with faculty to develop astronomy labs based on an active learning paradigm. My other love is playing music, which I try not to let distract me from science too much. In my free time I roll dice, climb rocks and try to not to get injured.