When have you been most scared?

While in the Peace Corps in Vanuatu (south Pacific island chain), I was inside my 10’ by 10’ wooden hut for 18 hours during Hurricane Hola (Cat. 3 to 4) with rain slicing through the walls and parts of the roof blowing off and then couldn’t leave the village for a week afterwards due to flooded river access. A close second was living on the side of an awakening volcano, also in Vanuatu, as it rumbled and smoked for two weeks before an eruption at 4 am resulted in a full-island mass evacuation.

How competitive are you?

Very. In college, my roommates and I had to shelve the board game Munchkins after too many hurt feelings from character backstabbing. Also, I once seriously (and unintentionally) injured someone playing ultimate spoons (the card game but with the spoons in another room and human “wall” blockers).

When working place with no sound (anechoic chambers quieter than human hearing), do you really start to go crazy?

No, it is actually very peaceful for short amount of time but I always had my iPod around for longer testing set-ups.

What is your favorite hike?

Izalco Volcano is Salvador. It was a brutal hike from the parking lot down to the base and then back up for 4000 ft elevation gain but the views from the top were great, the steam vents were on fully display, and “skiing” down the ash chute was a lot of fun.

What is your educational background?

I have a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a minor in History, mostly gained from time in Germany studying political relations and EU history. I landed an internship at an acoustical engineering company that I really enjoyed and took some continuing education classes to increase my knowledge of acoustics while working hands-on in the field.