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Frequently Asked Questions
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Who took all the wildlife photos on this website? They're awesome!Why thank you very much - I did! :D
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Outside of work, what am I passionate about?The same passion I have in work - sharing what I love and learn with others - carries on in my hobbies, too. I worked as a rock climbing instructor throughout graduate school and have taught many, many friends how to climb, snowboard, and photograph animals over the years. The high you get from introducing someone you care about to an activity you love - and then they also love it? Bliss.
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If I could have a superpower, what would it be?I have two answers, the practical answer and the instinctual, heart's desire answer. My instinctual answer to this question is 'Shapeshifter'. Given my affinity for animals, it's really no surprise. The practical answer, the one I'd probably choose because the world is the way it is, is 'the ability to refill things'. Out of money? Refill your wallet. Out of gas? Refill your tank. Annoyed by someone? Refill their bladder. The ultimate power for a capitalist society.
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What is something unique about myself?Most of my family lives or has plans to retire to Florida or a desert somewhere. Hot, however, is my least favorite season and I'm the only family member that actively enjoys winter. My philosophy is that if winter only takes from you - your temperature of comfort, your activities, your cute clothes, your ability to even enjoy being outside - then yeah, you're going to hate winter. But winter gives me so much through photography and snowboarding that I can't help but look forward to it. I'm the black, woolly-wrapped sheep of the family.
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Can I speak more than one language?Currently? Eh. I took a year and a half of German in undergrad, and three years Latin in high school. However, since leaving those courses I haven't had many opportunities to keep those skills razor-sharp. Not many people speak Latin conversationally these days, you know?
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What is something I want to learn or be better at?Half my family can roll their Rs (i.e. make the trilled-R sound common in romance languages) - guess which half I'm in?
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Why decorate your professional data visualizaton website with wildlife photographs?I realize using wildlife photos gives the impression that photography is what I want to focus on professionally. However, I'm not artistic enough (yet) to design my own backdrops and it feels weird using commercially available and generic material on my own personal site. Therefore, why not use images I create myself, images that show my own aesthetic taste and how I choose to see the world, even if they don't immediately scream "data visualization" to the viewer? The images are mine, they still showcase me.
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What is something I want to learn or be better at?I'm very analytically-minded, but I'm not very artistic. I recently heard this referred to as 'good at drawing in straight lines,' and I think that's a perfect summary. I'm good at reverse-engineering and I believe strongly in improving the wheel, not reinventing it. I can usually find something close to what I had in mind and then tinker and modify from there, but I do want to be a stronger original artist.
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Why data visualization?It combines everything I enjoyed about research and science: exploring data, finding the story, teaching and sharing what I love with others, the diversity of topics you interact with (unlike a phd topic, which is far less variable), and the constant learning and acquisition of skills needed to complete the project. I'm happiest when I'm learning something new or sharing something I just learned with others - and that's the entire point of data visualization. Why wouldn't I want to pursue it?
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Why study both biology and physics in undergrad?After taking intro physics I and II at the community college I dual-enrolled in during highschool, I fell in love with the field. So when I applied for college, I did so as an applied physics major. However, even during my first month of my freshman year, I found myself wishing I had more biology in my curriculum. It was during undergrad I realized I was drawn to physics and biology for pretty much the same reason: they helped explain the world - both the animate and the inanimate - around me. I had to do both, forgoing one or the other would have left me filling incomplete.
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Why did I pursue biomechanics in grad school?I thought biomechanics would be a great way to combine my love of biology and physics, building experimental equipment, and working with animals. I even threw some robotics in there for good measure, just to keep it interesting.
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What was my first paying job?The official answer is, I was a mathematics tutor at Gordon College (now Gordon State College) while I was dual-enrolling there during high-school. The unofficial answer is, I started working as a soccer referee for Lamar County when I was 13 years old - too young to actually be hired by the government, so I was paid under the table. Shh.
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What's a mistake I made early on in my career?I interned at Zoo Atlanta in the bird department every Saturday for a semester in undergrad. It was an assigned position, I didn't explicitly choose the birds but I wasn't mad about it either. I remember thinking my first day went very well. I enjoyed meeting the other people who worked in birds, as well as the birds of course, and I did everything I was asked to do and did it without any mistakes. But then I got feedback that the department head was concerned I wouldn't be a good fit. I hadn't asked a lot of questions, was very quiet, and I hadn't shown initiative in learning more than what was given to me. Turns out, I had been so nervous and so focused on listening to instructions and following leads that I hadn't talked much period, let alone seemed extroverted and personable. (To be honest, I still feel like the critique about taking initiative to do more might have been more fair after a longer period of time than just a day.) However, it made me re-examine the way I was approaching new working environments. I always try to ask about first day/week/month expectations now so I can be sure that I'm actually off to a good start.
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