"Toxic" 5.11b Smith Rock, Oregon. Photo by Phyllis LefohnŠ1994
I am currently a Ph.D. student in computer science in the graphics group at the University of California, Davis. I am also a part-time graphics software engineer at Pixar Animation Studios. Before moving to the Bay, I had the great fortune of being an M.S. student in computer science in the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute at the University of Utah.
I am originally from Helena, Montana. By growing up in the beautiful state of Montana, I have cultivated a passionate love for the mountains. In the last few years, however, I have also discovered the quiet power of both the desert and ocean. On the rare occasion that I am not graphics hacking, I can usually be found rock climbing, skiing, mountain biking, or canyoneering. My recent move to the Bay area has removed me from my natural mountain habitat, and I'm still not sure what to do with all that water. I have found that driving North, East, or South to play in the dirt seems to make me feel more at home. I've recently been reading Galen Rowell's descriptions of winter ski traverses in the Sierras and White Mountains. His descriptions of battling 80+ mph winds amidst groves of 4000 year old bristlecone pine trees is catalyzing some disturbing thoughts about next winter's adventures.
My parents still reside in the wonderful place where I grew up. My father is the president of an environmental research firm, A.S.L. & Associates. My mother is a free-lance photographer and a qigong teacher. My older brother and sister-in-law live in Dunedin, New Zealand, where his is a violin professor at the University of Otago and she is a practicing midwife. My wife is an apparel designer and ballroom/swing/tap dance fiend.