I have three very high energy Australian Cattle Dogs (also known as heelers); two blue and a red. We also have some chickens and a few goldfish.

My favorite place I have traveled is Paris because of the sights, smells, and sounds. Visiting the Musee D'Orsay (an art museum in an old train station) was my favorite part of the trip.

My Bucket List consists of running a marathon, earning my doctorate, and eating pasta in Italy.

The most unusual thing in my office is a chunk of obsidian (volcanic rock) from Montana. My graduate program at the University of Montana had a class on how to make stone tools from obsidian. I didn't take the class, but it was fun to watch an experienced toolmaker bang out a spear in no time.

You may not know this about me, but I lived in Iceland for two years when I was a kid. The joke was, if you ever get lost in an Icelandic forest, just stand up! The few trees and forests are pretty small. 

Something someone told me that I still live by today: If you follow your passion, success will follow. And I can say it's true!

I am proud that I work with amazing Penn State students.