.
The Research "Bug"

As many of you know, I have multiple roles at the University. I, of course teach... and it is my true passion. Being with all the meldable minds and being able to have an impact on them is an enormous joy and an energizing influence upon me. A second role I have at the University is in participating in campus and/or community service. To me, this was another aspect that drew me to a life of academia. A good professor is a person who not only does what is minimally required (ie teaching and research) but instead is active and inventive and creative in both teaching and research..... BUT ALSO A WILLING AND ACTIVE PARTICIPANT in the life of his campus and his community. In this vein, I am on more committees than I would care to admit (yes, committees are often dull, but they are important), but my favorite types of service involve direct action in the campus or in the community. The working at campus events (carnivals, graduations, events requiring music) all help me feel a contributing member as well as community events such as working at soup kitchens, participating in Habitat for Humanity, or working with K-12 teachers on improving cirricula... I love being a part of my community and I relish trying to make a positive difference.

However, there is one aspect of my career that is a bit more undulating than the two above... this is the research component. I love research and I am delighted to participate in research, yet the effort and time committment to conduct quality research is often daunting. Yet, that old research bug has been causing me to itch and I have acquesed and decided to scratch it.... I am in the midst of developing a new, long-range research study that I feel could have major impact on the information we know about the nervous system.

PipeTobacco