“My primary discipline is chemistry, and in the past several years I have delved into creative nonfiction writing that is based in memoir and uses the science of thermodynamics to explore themes of self-development.
I completed my undergraduate work at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and thereafter, a chemistry Ph.D. at Cornell University. I currently hold a faculty position at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC, where I teach general and advanced chemistry courses, along with recent research in nonfiction writing straddling science and mindfulness. These interests combine long- held yoga and meditation practice/training with the discipline of thermodynamics, a subtopic within my upper-level chemistry courses.
In the science of thermodynamics, we focus on relationships between heat and work, energy and entropy. In the yoga practices, we shift energy between physical effort and relaxation, managing mental strain with patience and care. Thus, my nonfiction writing straddles science and mindfulness. Physical chemistry, my main teaching responsibility, includes the topic of thermodynamics, which translates to the movement of heat. I endeavor to bridge the two disciplines to help deepen understanding of self.”