Biographical Information

Not Very Interesting Biography

I am originally from northwestern Indiana, raised in a working class family, and a first generation college attendee.  I graduated from Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana, with a double major in Chemistry and Biology and a minor in German.  I received my Ph.D. in biochemistry from Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana.  My thesis research encompassed oligonucleotide chemical synthesis and purification methods and the application of these molecules to higher order RNA structure determination.  I subsequently spent five years in a post-doctoral position in the Department of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis researching eukaryotic translation initiation pathways and the role of RNA structure in determining protein synthesis rates.  This work used reovirus and picornavirus RNA model systems.  I joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Bates College in 1989, where I established an undergraduate-centered laboratory research program and initiated the establishment of a major in biochemistry, equipped a new biochemistry teaching laboratory, and developed a novel project-oriented laboratory curriculum.  I taught introductory chemistry and biochemistry courses, as well as courses that examine the intersections of natural science with history and culture.  My laboratory research was focused upon picornavirus protein concentration regulation by the cellular ubiquitin/proteasome system and ubiquitin-mediated cellular antiviral defense pathways.  During leaves, I conducted research with colleagues at the University at Buffalo, Johns Hopkins University, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the University of Arizona College of Medicine. I also collaborated with researchers at several other institutions in the U.S. and Europe, and I serve as a reviewer for several molecular life science journals.  Later in my career, I also engaged with collaborative research into approaches for teaching science through the lens of human interests vs. human welfare.  I served, at various times, as a department chair and as the chair of the Division of Natural Sciences. 

I retired in 2023, happily leaving a deteriorating academic culture that has turned away from supporting unbiased scholarship and academic freedom.  I am now engaged in research and writing about the history of science and its intersections with society, spending more time on hobbies, traveling with my spouse, and seeking opportunities to teach nontraditional Maine students in interesting new venues.