1. Who has had the most significant influence on you in your adult life and why? Three people come to mind, two of whom have sadly passed away. Mikey Sampson was the founder of RDIC, Resource Development International Cambodia, and he was someone I learned from and greatly respected. His willingness to speak truth to […]

1. This year’s theme is “US Humans” What do you immediately think of when you ponder US Humans? I think of the human brain’s capacity to fluidly re-define who is ‘us’ and who is ‘them’. The smaller we draw those circles, the more mistrust and strife we create. The larger we draw those circles, the […]

1. This year’s theme is “US Humans” What do you immediately think of when you ponder US Humans? I think of some of the amazing things that humans have been able to accomplish, and get excited to see what’s next for us. Plus, if you ride a motorcycle, you move to the top of my […]

1. This year’s theme is “US Humans” What do you immediately think of when you ponder US Humans? When I taught in Korea I was always amazed at how, no matter the differences in language and culture, my students were just like every other student in America. My fifth graders thought fart jokes were the […]

1. This year’s theme is “US Humans” What do you immediately think of when you ponder US Humans?We live in a world of duality and sometimes those around us, including the press, have a tendency to pit one faction against another – as if we were separate, and one or the other of us were […]

1. This year’s theme is “US Humans” What do you immediately think of when you ponder US Humans? If I interpret the question simply as “Us Humans”, with added emphasis, I think of a species that is unfathomably diverse, remarkable, and bewitching. If I interpret the question more narrowly, with a national branding, “US Humans”, […]

1. This year’s theme is “US Humans” What do you immediately think of when you ponder US Humans? When I see “US Humans,” I see that it can be read as “U.S Humans,” or “Americans” since many people just shorthand the United States to “US.” It’s interesting because more than ever, people are moving forward […]

1. This year’s theme is “US Humans” What do you immediately think of when you ponder US Humans? I prefer the hUmanS way of writing it. I think it tells the story better than “US Humans.” When I heard the theme hUmanS, I felt instantly honored to be able to be part of something focused […]

1. This year’s theme is “US Humans” What do you immediately think of when you ponder US Humans? US Humans… we can do anything at our fingertips, we have unlimited long term memory and have infinite amount of space in our brain to learn anything and to be the person we want to be. We have so much […]

1. What is it about your work that keeps you going? I love sharing my skiing, climbing, and snow science/engineering passions with my students. It brings me great joy seeing them light up and get so excited looking at snowflakes under a microscope for the first time. Several close calls in the mountains and having […]