The Smokies etc.

Lots to report on; as always thanks for the support!

I am uploading my photos to Flickr as well. Here is my photo stream!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94837690@N05/8641035813/


Day 15, Thursday, 3/28/13, hiked 11.7 miles, Chunky Gal Trail to Carter Gap mile 93.9

We got dropped off at deep gap and I hiked south with Spider and Tin-man to were we got off previously at Chunky Gal trail, Then we hiked North and took a short cut past the south bound section we just did. Then we kept going to meet up with the rest of the group. This way we did not skip any sections of the trial.

Day 16, Friday, 3/29/13, hiked 15.9 miles, Carter Gap to Winding Stair Gap mile 109.8

Crossed the 100 mile mark! Had to use our hands to climb up the rocks on Albert Mountain! We decided last minute to go all the way to winding stair gap and then we hitched in to town and got a room at the Microtel.

Day 17, Saturday, 3/30/13, hiked 0 miles

We took a zero day in Franklin, NC. We went to the hiker bash that was at the Sapphire Inn. I was told there would be face painting, vendors, book signing etc. Nope - there was one guy singing country songs and a lot of free beer. For a guy that doesn't believe in getting drunk it was rather boring.

Day 18, Sunday, 3/31/13, hiked 5.8 miles, Winding Stair Gap to Wayah Picnic Area mile 115.8

I went to the free pancake breakfast at the Church again - no one else from my room got up for it. I went and I tried hinting to the lady that was running it that I wanted to come to the Easter service if only I could get a ride back to the trail afterwords - no luck :(  By the way this process of asking for something (usually food) with out actually asking for it is known as "Yogi-ing". So we hiked and eventually it started raining then we can upon a sign with an arrow that said "Trail Magic". We went over to the picnic area off the trial and there was a big group there cooking Ham, mashed potatoes and green beans! Easter Dinner! So we stayed there that night. My tent actually did really well in the rain that night - no condensation.

Cool cross up on the hill in Franklin, NC

Gweejo and Spider crossing a bridge right after winding stair Gap

A bridge right after winding stair Gap

Day 19, Monday, 4/1/13, hiked 10 miles, Wayah Picnic Area to Cold Spring Shelter mile 125.6

My trail family from the left: Spider, Tin man, me, Gweejo, Globug, Doobie, Pink Panther, Borders and Yukon 

Day 20, Tuesday, 4/2/13, hiked 11.7 miles, Cold Spring Shelter to A. Rufus Morgan Shelter mile 136.6

Half way through the day we came to a nice fire tower and went up it to have lunch. It was basically just a wooden platform at the top with short walls all way around. A lot of hikers stopped there - it was nearly full at one point. From there off to the North we could we Fontana Dam  and the Great Smokie Mountains - our future destinations.

Wesser Bald Observation tower

Spider and Tin man on Wesser Bald Observation tower

The view North from Wesser Bald Observation tower. About the middle of the picture is Fontana Dam and on the horizon are the Great Smokie Mountains

Day 21, Wednesday, 4/3/13, hiked 11.3 miles, A. Rufus Morgan Shelter to Locust Cove Gap mile 147.6

Hiked a mile down to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in the morning. Went to breakfast at the restaurant there, then to the outfitter and then Lunch. The others worked on getting back country camping permits for the Smokies - I printed mine out before I left for Springer. Borders' father has a Cabin about 30 minutes from the NOC so he arranged for everyone to go there for 2 nights. I wanted to keep hiking so I could meet up with my Sister Ginny and her family at Fontana Dam. So I said my goodbyes to the group which included Borders, Doobie, Pink Panther, Gweejo, Spider, Globug, Tin-min and Yukon. It was difficult, I missed them almost immediately went I left. I had been with most of them since my second night on the trial! As I was leaving and crossed the bridge over the river they all yelled my trail name! I met "French" on the way up the mountain. I was feeling a bit sad on my hike that day which as a several mile constant uphill, but when I got to the top of Swing bald after that big climb "The Ref" said "you made it!" (We didn't really know each other but had seen each other a few times before) and I talked with him and a few others at the campsite that night. It was nice to have people around that know your name and it gave me hope that I will make new friends along the way on this trip - God really does provide right when you need it, even in the small things.

I met "Lao" that night as well at "Grey Loon", "Coach" (his last name), "The Ref", and "Snafu" (microbiology major)

Also, we never saw "Mustard-plug" show up at the shelter the previous night. We found out from "Saint Nick" that he walked in at about 8 pm (which is late fore hikers) and was not doing well. Saint Nick carried is pack down the mountain and got him to an ambulance. He had some surgery on his intestine several months back and I guess the hip belt on his pack had been agitating it.

Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)

Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)

Day 22, Thursday, 4/4/13, hiked 5.5 miles, Locust Cove Gap to Brown Fork Shelter mile 153.1

It was raining when i woke up. It was dry inside my tent but I had to pack it up in the rain so it was soaked and heavy. It rained all day. I was not dry under my rain jacket and I was cold - later I found out is was 37 degrees  So I ended up getting to the first shelter at about noon and I stayed there because my tent was wet ant there was open shelter space. There were a lot of people that had the same idea so I had a lot of company. I met the Germans there "Smokes" and "Smiling Virgin" (named so because he had never hiked before and was thus a Trail Virgin). I also met "Flipper" and "Nutella". French was there and fried up some tortilla chips with hummus for us.

Day 23, Friday, 4/5/13, hiked 11.5 miles, Brown Fork Shelter to Fontana 28 AT Crossing mile 164.6

I was first out of the shelter in the morning because I wanted to make Fontana by mid-day to meet up with Ginny, Ross and my nephews. I made it by 12:30 and called Ginny. Unfortunately they hit traffic in Atlanta and did not make it until 6:30 pm. I called for the $3 shuttle in to Fontana Village which is a small resort. I set out my stuff to dry in the sun and did laundry  I saw Mustard-plug sitting outside the store - It seems the report was true, he was in the hospital for two days due to the surgery he had a while back. He got a ride back to the "Fontana Hilton" that night - which is just a shelter with bathrooms and a shower. I also saw "French" and "Stretch" while I was there. Ginny and Ross finally made it that evening and we drove to Cherokee, NC to the hotel. They got me my own room and bought me dinner at Dairy Queen!. Cherokee is a small town built around a casino - lots of stores selling touristy Native American stuff. 

Cool view with the sun coming through the clouds and fog

Cool view with the sun coming through the clouds and fog

Package with lots of food and supplies from my parents! I took what I could, gave what I could to other hikers and left the rest for my trail family to pick up later. Also, my toes are in the pic.

Day 24, Saturday, 4/6/13, hiked 15 miles, Fontana 28 AT Crossing to Russell Field Shelter mile 179.6

Gin and Ross dropped me off at about 11 am. It was really hard to say goodbye. It was a difficult climb into the Smokies.

Me and my nephews! Zach, Ethan and Adam

Me and my sister Ginny!

Fontana Dam with the start of the Great Smokie Mountains in the background

Fontana Dam

Fontana Dam

Deer in the Smokies that came right up to me - no fear

Day 25, Sunday, 4/7/13, hiked 15 miles, Russell Field Shelter to Double Gap Shelter mile 196.0

Tough hiking but really pretty trail with grassy sections. When I got to the shelter I saw Matt. I had not seen him since Tray Mountain between Unicoi and Dicks creek Gap. He met up with his Dad I think and had been in the Smokies many days already. He and his group hiked to Clingman's parking lot to get a ride to Gatlinburg.

Grassy trail in the Smokies

Nice view from a bald in the Smokies

Day 26, Monday, 4/8/13, hiked 13.8 miles, Double Gap Shelter to Icewater Shelter mile 209.8

Hiked to Clingman's Dome the highest point on the AT. I didn't bother going up to the tower - it was very foggy and you couldn't see anything. I hiked 0.5 miles out of the way to the gift shop but all they had to eat were granola bars and candy bars. They were really expensive but I needed a little extra food to make it through the Smokies so I payed the $17. Then I hiked down to Newfound Gap. It was really icy. I heard people say that recently one person broke his arm and another dislocated his shoulder on the way down, some people decided to skip it but I went for it because, well that's what I do. I slipped and slide-ed on my way down but didn't fall. There was a  parking lot at Newfound Gap with a lot of tourists  A nice older man came over and started talking to me for a while. I really wanted him or someone to offer me a Coke but he didn't seem to have anything. He asked to take my picture and I obliged. The muscle in my right rear got sore half way down the mountain and it hurt all the way to Icewater Shelter.

I met "Dreamer" on the way to Newfound gap.

Trip up to Clingman's Dome, highest point on the AT. It was windy and foggy but not too cold.

The trail going down the North side of Clingman's Dome was covered in ice! There was several feet of snow there a week or two previous and but it all melted and refroze. The trip down was treacherous but also fun!

Passed the 200 mile mark just after Clingman's Dome!

Newfound Gap

Newfound Gap

Newfound Gap

 Newfound Gap - oh good, only 1972 miles to go!

Newfound Gap

Tents at Icewater shelter - mine is the one farthest right

Day 27, Tuesday, 4/9/13, hiked 12.6 miles, Icewater Shelter to Tri-Corner Knob Shelter mile 222.4

My muscle was still bothering me in the morning. I was thinking of going back to Newfound gap then going in to Gatlinburg to rest but I decided to just keep going North. I took it real easy and was ok. Sunny day and beautiful views walking on top of ridges most of the day. Probably the best hiking and views yet! I was the last one to leave the shelter in the morning - I had to dry out my tent. I made it to the shelter at about 4 pm. There was a high school hiking club there from Michigan. The shelter was full and there were hardly any tenting areas. I found a great level spot on the hill above the shelter - or at least I thought it was great until i spotted a dead fox on the other side of the downed tree a few feet from my tent. My nose was still pretty congested so luckily I couldn't smell much.

Met "Wooden spoon", "Better man" and "Hangman"

Also talked to "Dino DNA" the geologist I had meet a week or two back.

Lao changed his name to "Enoch" a character from a book called quicksilver.

Met "Bambo" who uses two bambo sticks for hiking poles. So does his friend - I didn't get his name. 

Charlies Bunion

At least half the day of hiking was like this! walking on the top of the ridge with great views of TN to my left and great views of NC to my right!

Day 28, Wednesday, 4/10/13, hiked 15.7 miles, Tri-Corner Knob Shelter to Daveport Gap mile 238.1

Some more nice views today. Met "Cruse" and "Corn dog" a couple from Northern Texas. I think they went school in San Marcos. Had lunch at Cosby Knob Shelter with Better man and this wife (I think her name is Kris). Wooden spoon, Cruse, and Corn dog were also there. Better man is a Civil Engineer. I took the 0.6 mile side trip to Mt. Cammer. It was an old mostly stone tower with a deck you could walk all the way around and see for miles.

The view from Mt. Cammer Fire Tower

 Mt. Cammer Fire Tower

On the way down the mountain going out of the Smokies

 Smokies Complete!

  Smokies Complete!

Lao/Enoch introduced me to "Black Beard"

Made it out of the Smokies! it took me 5 days and I didn't stop in Gatlinburg to resupply, though I did buy a few snacks at the Clingman's dome gift shop as previously mentioned. 

It occurred to me that I could get people to sponsor me and donate money for every mile I hike and donate it to a charity/ministry - something I'm considering.

My cousin Kyle picked me up and took me to his house in Knoxville that night. I finally got to meet his wife Hannah. She was cooking dinners to freeze with her friend when we got there and she made me an awesome plate of pasta to eat. Kyle and Hannah are great - I'm a big fan!

Day 29, Thursday, 4/11/13, hiked 0 miles

Zero day in Knoxville, TN at the Schmitt residence. Hannah made pancakes, eggs and bacon for breakfast! Then Kyle took me to get food for my resupply, to Best Buy to get a battery pack for my phone and to a few different outfitters where I picked up a sweet new rain jacket so I can stay dry in the upcoming rainy spring weather. I also got to see a little of downtown Knoxville, including the Sun Sphere - which I only know of through a Simpsons episode.

Day 30, Friday, 4/12/13, hiked 0 miles

Another Zero day in Knoxville, TN at the Schmitt residence. Spent the day mostly updating this blog.

Kyle and Hannah outside their home in Knoxville

I also made a little video of my trip thus far

Steady-State

The First

Sorry for the poor formatting and grammar on this post.

Day 8, Thursday, 3/21/13, hiked 16.7 miles, Unicoi Gap to Dicks Creek Gap mile 69.6
THE FIRST SNOW

Was a very cold day with snow, we were going to camp on the trail that night but we were cold and wanted to keep moving so we called for a shuttle and went back to stay at the same hotel in Hiawassee. Tumbleweed had swollen knees and Glowbug still had a cold in the morning so they stayed at the hotel while Gweejo, Spider and myself went out without them. When we got back Tumbleweed told us that he would be getting off the trail but planned on coming back in a week or perhaps section hiking with us in the future. He payed the full price of the hotel room for us before he left, said it was "Trail Magic". Great guy, miss hiking with him. 

Day 9, Friday, 3/22/13, hiked 0 miles

THE FIRST ZERO

Spent my first full day of doing no hiking back in the Budget Inn - this is called a "ZERO". So I ate, rested, resupplied and planned for the upcoming hike. The next stop should be Franklin, NC. We also met up with Two-stix and the family while in town.

Day 10, Saterday, 3/23/13, hiked 4.5 miles, Dicks Creek Gap to Plumorchard Shelter mile 74.1

Real short day, Glowbug was not feeling well so it was slow going. They are predicting rain all day Sunday and then snow Monday so we stayed at the shelter and if it is rainy and cold we may take another zero here. "Soway", "Billy Jack", and "Ambassador" were there and taught us a bunch and did some AT trivia. They are all former thru-hikers. Soway has done the mountain-to-sea trail and will do a Yo-Yo (hiking to Maine then going all the way back the way you came) this year. "Uncle Buck" and his dog Jake were also there.

Day 11, Sunday, 3/24/13, hiked 0 miles

THE FIRST ZERO IN THE WOODS

It was supposed to rain but barely did at all. It is supposed to rain and snow tonight so at least by staying in the shelter we can start out dry tomorrow. The family (Doobee, Borders, Pink panther) also showed up. Spent the day sleeping, resting and trying not to eat so that I have enough food to make it to Franklin.

Day 12, Monday, 3/25/13, hiked 7.3 miles, Plumorchard Shelter to Muskrat Creek Shelter mile 81.4

THE FIRST STATE

Woke up to snow in the morning. I was warm all night in the shelter. The wind was very cold but as long as I am moving I stay warm. Passed the first border crossing! Passed from Georgia in to North Carolina. We arrived at the shelter around 2 or 3 pm but Glowbug had not made it yet. I wanted to go farther but we needed to wait and make sure she was alright. Spider even when back to get her - turns out she was fine, we stayed there that night. It was a bitter cold 19 degrees out and it was windy. I stayed in my tent with my head down hill so that the opening of my tent faced opposite the wind direction. I stayed warm by wearing ALL my cloths, thermal layers, 2 jackets, 2 pairs of socks, sleeping bag, silk liner, and emergency blanket.

Hike with me!

Day 13, Tuesday, 3/26/13, hiked 0.8 miles, Muskrat Creek Shelter to the Chunky Gal Trail mile 82.2
THE FIRST HITCH AND FIRST BLUE BLAZE
A "Blue Blaze" is a side trail on the AT. It was bitter cold in the morning with more snow that fell overnight and more in the forecast. We talked to Borders who told us about the "Chunky Gal trail" (what? - I don't name these things, I just hike them) that would take us to a major road. He wasn't sure how long it was but estimated about 5 to 7 miles. It was sooo cold that a group of 12 of us (plus Jake the dog) decided to bail out and get to a town before we froze. We went north on the AT about 0.8 miles then had to break through about a half foot of snow with drifts past my knees! up and down mountains. It was tuff but kind of fun with such a large group traveling together. Remember that scene from the movie white fang (I think it was white fang), Anyway there was a group of hundreds of prospectors traveling over a mountain up a huge ice stairway in a blizzard - that's what it felt like. Also with the snow everywhere and covering the trees and mountains all against the occasional blue sky was amazingly beautiful! We finally got to the road and three nice people stopped have gave us a ride to Franklin, NC where we stayed at the Sapphire Inn. 
Day 14, Wednesday, 3/27/13, hiked 0 miles
Another zero day, This time in Franklin, NC. We got up early for free all-you-can-eat pancakes at the First Baptist Church. They even had a van pick us up and they took our picture an mailed the picture and a note for us. Real nice people - there are a lot of great things about the south.

Spider Gweejo and Globug




Steady-State

The Beginning

Finally had a chance to update my blog! Thanks for all your kind words, and well wishes through texts and facebook etc. and thanks for your prayers. I appreciate them all very much!
Day 1, Thursday, 3/14/13, hiked 2.8 miles, Springer to Stover Creek mile 2.8

Took a Southwest Airlines flight from San Antonio at 6am and flew to Atlanta via Houston. Took the MARTA train to the North Springs station. A shuttle drivers "Survivor Dave" drove me to the start of the Appalachian trail. He took me to Cooper Gap first to drop off some water that I wound need the next day then took me to the Springer Mouton parking lot which is 1 mile North of Springer Mountain. From There I hiked South to the top of Springer. When I got to the top I met "Spider" and some others, then I hiked back North and stopped for the night at Stover Creek Shelter at the 2.8 mile mark. Spider was there and I met a few other hikers at well. I also saw "White shoes" there who I meet back in the Springer parking lot. It was a cold night - about 32 degrees. I had been feeling really sore from training and i guess just nerves. I felt way better after I took my first step up Springer. Wore knee braise and ace bandages for first few days but not I am just legitimately ore from hiking - which is normal.

View from Springer Mountain

On Springer Mountain

Day 2, Friday, 3/15/13, hiked 13 miles, Stover Creek to Gooch Mountain mile 15.8

Hiked to Gooch Mountain shelter. Met a family "Borders", "Doobie", and "Pink Panther". Borders has hiked the AT and the PCT before. They shared their water with a German couple on Sassafras mountain and then I shared my water from Survivor Dave with the family at Cooper Gap. I also had my first trail magic at cooper - a former thru-hiker stooped by with pop and Gatorade. Also met "Nema", "Gweejo", "Glowbug", "elbow skin" (Chan), "tumbleweed", and "Icarus" at the shelter.

Day 3, Saturday, 3/16/13, hiked 8.5 miles, Gooch Mountain to Lance Creek mile 24.3

Saw the famous trail Angel "Miss Janet" that morning, she was camping an doing trial magic, also got an apple from a Church group camping there. Miss Janet's group had a lot of current and former thru-hikers there, one came right up to me and showed me how to adjust my pack properly by putting most of the weight on my hips and tightening the load lifters. The load lifters should be loosened on downhills to provide balance. I met "Unremarkable" soon after that. Got AMAZING trail magic from the Glenloch Baptist Church when i came through Woody Gap! They had everything, hot dogs, soda, cookies, supplies, napkins, granola bars. They even washed our feet - Literally washed our feet. Many hikers were hesitant on the foot washing but those that gave in loved it. The Church isn't even close, more like 3-4 hours way. One of there Pastors is a hiker and then come out once a year to just bless and server the hikers. They didn't press another but just said that by washing feet they were following the example of Jesus - what a great idea - most hikers would have resented a Gospel message that that point but instead the saw a great example of God's people just loving other people.

Trail Magic from Glenloch Baptist Church

Day 4, Sunday, 3/17/13, hiked 7.4 miles, Lance Creek to Neels Gap mile 31.7

Great hike and a great view from the top of Blood Mountain. Tumbleweed says it is called that because two Indian tribes fought a big bloody battle up there. Hiked to Neels Gap where the Mountain Crossings outfitter is. Got a "Shake down" they go through your pack and tell you what you need and don't need. They took my picture and put it on Facebook if you care to find it. Logan told me to loose a bunch of stuff that I don't need to carry and told me that I don't really ened to worry about ticks until i start seeing grass that is taller grass. Stayed in blood mountain cabins next door with Nema, Icarus, and Two stix. They stayed a second night, so did the Germans couple and the Borders family. Got a free dinner from that same Church Group too! Then a bunch of us stood around listening to "Baltimore Jack", another AT legend who has hiked the trial many many times. He gave advice and said to make a list of chours the night before you go into town and that it is best to go in to towns in the morning then either stay there that night or go back to trail that night. Usually there is a big climb going out of a town. Take real food to town with you the first night. Take at least one meal you don't have to cook, in case you don't want to cook.

Mountain Crossings outfitter at Neels Gap

Day 5, Monday, 3/18/13, hiked 11.5 miles, Neels Gap to Low Gap mile 43.2

Was a cold and rainy day with lots of fog so you couldn't see any of the nice views. The Shelter was full so we stayed in tents (by this point I was meeting up with a lot of the people I met the second night). Everything got wet, everything got muddy! :( We set up our tents and got in them right away. The wind was blowing almost right in to my tent so I was cold until i let up. By bag was also wet in the morning from condensation. They sun showed up in the morning so i hung up almost everything I have and let it dry. I left around 11 or 12 and was almost the last to leave, put I caught up to them without a problem - turns out I am a fairly fast hiker but I do need to slow it down for the first few weeks until my body gets used to hiking.

Day 6, Tuesday, 3/19/13, hiked 7.3 miles, Low Gap to Blue Mountain mile 50.5

Stayed in the shelter for the first time, supposedly the windiest shelter in Georgia. Thankfully it wasn't too windy that night and we were not too cold. Met "Wild Willy" there, he is from Oakridge Tennessee. also met "Grumpy", "Thor", and Miles (that's his real name) along the way.

Day 7, Wednesday, 3/20/13, hiked 2.4 miles, Blue Mountain to Unicoi Gap mile 52.9

Got up really earily and hiked to the road at Unicoi gap to take a free Shuttle to the Budget Inn in Hiawassee, GA. Stood in the cold a long time waiting for it :( We decided to stay here because they are calling for really really cold weather Wednessday night. We checked in an when right to breakfast at a real restaurant - what luxury! We will be back here on Friday night to because they are calling for rain and cold weather. Because we started so early we have to be carefull of the weather at this time of year so we are playing it safe and may even be back in to Hiawassee a few more times this weekend due to cold/rain/snow. We can't avoid all that weather but will try to avoid the worst.

 

Waiting for the Shuttle, from left: Spider, Gweejo, Globug, Me. Tumbleweed is taking the picture

 

Steady-State

The Defense

There was a request to do a post about my Doctoral Defense so here it is.

My Finite Element Simulation of an optical plane wave traveling through a vibrating electro-optic crystal

 (not to scale)

I get a lot of questions about graduate school, being a PhD student, what I can do when I graduate, what my research is about etc. which is quite understandable - I had no idea about any of this before I started the program and it's a different world from what most people go through.

What I had to do in Graduate school

• Take 90 credit hours beyond my undergrad degree. About half of that time is research and the other half is classes.
• Pass a written test and an oral proposal to become a "PhD candidate" about half way through the program
• Write/publish papers and present at conferences
• Write a Dissertation (really long final paper) about all my research
• Committee must approve it
• Will be published in the school library
• Given a Dissertation Defense (final presentation) 

What it means  to be a PhD

• It means I am qualified to teach at the college level
• It means I have some extremely specialized knowledge about a subject you have never heard of
• It means I am qualified to be a Scientist or Engineer at a University, Company, or Government organization
• It means I am a Doctor (but not a medical doctor) I can legally write PhD after my name or Dr. before it
• It means I have spent several years in graduate school taking classes and doing original research. The actual time varies from one person to another and is different for different majors. For example Engineering takes about 5 years beyond the Bachelors degree but theoretical physics can take 8 or 9 years.

Here is a really nice, brief, easy to follow explanation of what it means to be a phd

http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/

What it doesn't mean to be a PhD

• It doesn't mean I am any more intelligent that the average person
• It doesn't mean I am a better person than anyone else
• It doesn't mean I know everything about science, or literature, or history, or auto mechanics
• It doesn't mean I can diagnose your illness 
• It doesn't mean I will necessarily make a lot of money or have job security
• It doesn't mean I can beat you at poker or monopoly

The Defense

A doctoral defense is a final presentation of your research work before a committee of professors. There is a committee of at least 4 PhDs that grade me. The committee is made of mostly professors but sometimes others from outside the university. My committee has four professors and one scientist from a local research facility.

Structure of the Defense

1. Public presentation with interuptions for questions - about 40-60 minutes
2. Everyone but candidate and committee leaves
3. Committee can ask questions about anything from my education (but usually only things relating to the dissertation)
4. Candidate leaves the room so committee can talk
5. Candidate is invited back in and then one of two things happen 
• My adviser will reach out to shake my hand and say "Congratulations Dr. McIntosh" 
• Or my adviser will say "Sorry, try again"  and I get one more chance to pass

So why did I go to school this long?

• I love Science
• I love college - I hated school all the way from day one of  kinder-garden to my senior year of high school - but I love college
• I used to work at a company where pretty much everyone else was a scientist - so I said "Me too!"
• I genuinely enjoy learning

A brief description of my research

I am studying electro-optic materials. When you apply a voltage to an electro-optic material the refractive index will change. The refractive index is a measure of how fast light travels in the material. These materials are used in devices to encode information on to an optical beam. So for example they are used in fiber optic networks to encode electrical information from your computer so it can travel over an optical fiber. When we apply an electrical signal at a specific frequency called the resonant frequency the material vibrates very strongly resulting in increased coupling between the electrical and optical signals. This improved coupling is very important for improving device efficiency. My research is primarily involved in studying/understanding/optimizing this effect through experimental techniques and computer modeling.

Want to see an interactive computer model I made that is related to my research? go here: Acoustic velocity of materials. You will need to install the Wolfram Mathematica Player, its free.

Defense day
My defense was March 4^th 2013 and I passed!

Not bad for a kid the State of New York classified with a "learning disability" from third grade to twelfth grade right?

Thank you

• Thank you fellow students for helping me with my classes
• Thank you colleagues for teaching me what you know and encouragning me to go back to school
• Thank you teachers for your patience and extra help
• Thank you to my professors for your help and very patient explanations
• Thank you to all the Church congregations I have been a part of for making me feel at home while I was far form home
• Thank you friends for your encouragement, for letting me skip parties/trips/concerts so I could study, for bringing me food while I was studying, for letting me do homework at your house
• Thank you to my family for letting me be away from home so long
• Thank you to my parents for the constant 30 years of support and encouragement 
• Thank you Jesus 

Dr. Steady-State

The Training

I am not athletic. My sport is Archery and though it definitely requires strength well... its not like hiking. I did a half marathon, but that was quite a few years back. I have been doing some exercise to help prepare my body to walk all day every day with a 34 lb. pack on my back. I run, and I do exercises that were recommended in a backpacking magazine I subscribe to. So I am at my University's recreation center 3 days a week.

This was Summer 2002. Perhaps my greatest single end ever; 58 out of a possible 60 points from 90 meters (100 yards) away. I used to shoot on a farm lane next to my grandparents house; it was nice but every now and then I had to step out of the way to let a tractor pass.

Running in the Red Baron 2006 half marathon in Corning, NY 

UTSA Campus Recreation Center

Indoor track at the Rec

Indoor track at the Rec

I do exercises which I found in Backpacker magazine. Mostly I do core and leg stuff with a exercise ball.
http://www.backpacker.com/january-2012-backpacker-bible-hike-farther/skills/16315
http://www.backpacker.com/fitness-leg-strength/slideshows/231

Training schedule and notes

This will hopefully help a little but I think my plan is to go really slow the first 4 to 6 weeks on the trail until my body turns to steel, or Diamond, or Silicon Carbide, or Graphene! which are very hard due to their bonding and close packed structure of their atoms.....oh, sorry, I had to nerd out a little there - all apologies.

Spinel is pretty hard too - here is a 3D representation of it I made for one of my classes

I don't run a million miles, I haven't tried P90X or yoga, I don't lift big heavy weights. I might do those things sometime but for now just some very focused exercise and once I hit the trail I will avoid the temptation to do big miles right away.

steady-state