I was raised in Hollis, NH, a small town in southern NH and graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges with a bachelor of science in geoscience, chemistry and environmental studies. There, I conducted research with Prof. Brooks McKinney on the occurrence of arsenic in bedrock near Hollis, NH and with Prof. Erin Pelkey developing synthetic methods for making 4-substituted-3-pyrrolin-2-ones. I also spent a summer in Alaska doing paleomagnetic research and with Prof. John Halfman developing a calcium budget for Seneca Lake, NY.  Realizing that innovation in chemistry has the potential to mitigate many of humanity's environmental concerns I decided to attend Cornell University to pursue graduate work in chemistry.  My hobbies include: hiking (preferably in places with mountains and lakes), irish step dancing, cooking and reading.