Hi, this is my user page. I am a female born and raised in the American Midwest. I have a degree in physics from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in a branch of the physical sciences from a famous West Coast institute. I am employed as a scientist and manager. The first and last computer language I formally studied was FORTRAN. I wrote my thesis with the UNIX (BSD) nroff editor. I learned how to used a slide rule in high school, and used punch tape in junior high.
I love encyclopedias. When I was a kid, I decided to read the World Book Encyclopedia. There were not that many volumes, really, and I was a nerdy kid who didn't have anything else to do.
I contribute to Wikipedia because I want to share what I have learned and uphold some standard of objective knowledge. I have been associated with well-known institutions and have had the honor and privilege to cross paths with some interesting topics and folk. I love the back story of people's lives and the interconnections between historical figures.
My username comes from a Frank Zappa song.