The experience reminds me of a favorite saying: Most of the yield from research efforts comes from the coal that is mined while looking for diamonds.

Mountain hikes instilled in me a life-long urge to get to the top of any inviting summit or peak.

If our society continues to support basic research on how living organisms function, it is likely that my great grandchildren will be spared the agony of losing family members to most types of cancer.

I have a tendency to be lucky and make the right choices based on limited information.

It was always assumed that I would go to college.

It wasn't until late high school and early college that I gained enough size and skill to make me welcome on intramural basketball teams.

A painstaking course in qualitative and quantitative analysis by John Wing gave me an appreciation of the need for, and beauty of, accurate measurement.