I manage the central Chemical Stockroom and am the Safety Officer for science, art
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Southwest Minnesota State University (Marshall, MN) and a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Theatre: Scenic and Lighting Design and Technical Production from the University of Idaho (Moscow, ID). I have worked at Luther College (Chemistry Stockroom and Laboratory Manager, 11 years; Visiting Professor of Design and Technology, 1 year), Carleton College (Lighting Designer/Technical Director for Theater and Dance, 6 years), Minnesota Soybean Processors (QA/QC lab technician, 6 years) – all utilize many of the same skills, just with a different end product.
My interests outside of work include cooking (and eating!), especially ethnic foods; vegetable gardening; reading (mystery/thriller, fiction, food science); good coffee, craft beers, meads and ciders; PBS; NPR; hanging with my fur-kids (cats Eurwyn, Freyja and Genbu); carpentry and welding; and solo travel adventures.
Some of the more unusual jobs I’ve had include: chemist for world-renowned veterinarian expert in artificial insemination and embryo transfer in sheep; costume crafts master artisan (constructing everything from jewelry to embroidered linens to footwear) at a regional summer Shakespeare theatre; shift manager at a “full-service” mom-and-pop hardware store; research and development lab technician at a soy candle factory; props carpenter for children’s touring shows; textile testing laboratory technician (developed the standard testing method for analyzing fiber content in socks); scenic designer for a ballet company – plus I have personally laundered and ironed costumes for “Weird Al” Yankovic!