I graduated from UCI with an AB in Chemistry and Physics. I went to UCLA and worked in the Chemistry Department on understanding molecular motion in liquids using light scattering and ultrasonics. After getting my PhD in Physical Chemistry I took a post-Doc position at USC/The Aerospace Corporation in order to learn surface science, which was a young field in the late 1970s/early 1980s. After nine months I was hired full time at The Aerospace Corporation. Although I have my degrees in chemistry and physics, I do most of my work in materials science in the areas of polymers, composite materials for space structures, data storage materials, optical modulators, and spacecraft and rocket materials. I have also managed technical professionals as a section manager and associate department director.