Biography

My Personal Interests
I enjoy just about everything one can do outdoors in nature. I love picnics, camping, hiking and adventure travels of any sort! Spending time in nature relaxes me as well as gets me creative with my professional work. In addition to many wonderful nature places around me I love the Joshua Tree Desert National Park. There is something incredible and introspective about being in the desert. A spring time visit of Joshua Tree is heavenly and beyond description. You have got to experience that for yourself! I enjoy listening to a variety of good music, classical, new age, softer (“light metal”) rock, world music, instrumental (love guitar!), etc. I love cooking outdoors. There is something deeply relaxing about it especially around a campfire bonding with people and having a heartfelt conversation! I love technology in its creative (not commercial) aspect. I love solving technically challenging design problems involving integration of electronics, mechanical and chemical projects and apply them to sustainable and healthy living. Recently, In 2014, I built my ultimate dream touring bike and in August of 2016 started biking from San Francisco to Los Angeles through the beautiful Pacific Coast road (Highway 1). This is one of the most beautiful bike touring paths in the world. I was fully self-sustained carrying all my stuff including a tent, sleeping bag, food and water for nearly 500 miles. I passed through the Big Sur coast when much of the mountain range was burning by the Soberanes wildfire which was an amazing experience in awareness and trust. I want to do more bike camping trips and would like to do the Oregon coast ride next.

 

Education & Experience

I hold a B.S. and M.S. degree in Chemistry from the California State Polytechnic University in Pomona with an emphasis in physical chemistry. My graduate research was in the lead acid battery research and development. I worked on the development of  a nondestructive method of testing lead acid batteries for their state-of-health using an electrochemical technique known as Impedance Spectroscopy".  In 1991, I decided to go back to school and get a degree in Chemical and Materials engineering from Cal Poly Pomona. This was an effort to complete some unfinished business from the early college years majoring in chemical engineering. Chemical Engineering deals with designing processes to make new chemicals and materials for a wide range of industries such as chemicals manufacturing, petroleum, semiconductor, paint and coatings, fuel cells, biotechnology,..
I have years of research and development experience working in the following industries (in chronological order and some as paid internship while in school).
Chemwest Industries, (Analytical laboratory, performing chemical analysis)
Harshaw Filtrol Catalysts, (Petroleum analytical laboratory, performing instrumental procedure development)
Teledyne Analytical Instruments, (working on the development of electrochemical sensors for portable gas analyzers)
Spectrol Electronics, (As a materials development specialist working on scanning electron microscopy of electronic sensors)
Ensci Inc, (working on the development of a composite light-weight, high power, lead acid battery in conjunction with NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL).
Water treatment systems designer and consultant

I love to bring my passion for learning and teaching chemistry to my classroom! I love to chat with my students and get to know them! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you!