c. vitae

Introduction

I’m a scientist and problem solver who deeply cares about our world. I’m an idealistic, progressive, socially-poised introvert with considerable experience in a variety of disciplines—medicine, scientific research, renewable energy, climate activism. I believe my career decisions make sense considering the trajectory of our world.

In 2001, while working at Cornell University, I came across the World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity. I took its message absolutely seriously, culminating in a decision to leave academics and establish two renewable energy companies in Ithaca NY—Renovus Energy in 2003 and Weaver Wind Energy in 2006. In 2011, after a bit of success, I left the first company to focus on the second. WWE closed down at the height of the pandemic in 2021.

  • I’ve never been career-oriented — and have now learned that age discrimination (ageism) exists; I wish it didn’t but it does. Age brings limitations, but so does youth – and creative, thoughtful people easily transcend them. My expectations have changed for what type of work is the right fit for me. I’m a quiet autodidact, but know the great value of working with, learning from, and helping others to accomplish things. As a scientist, I had no business education, management experience, or renewable energy expertise, yet I did these things for nearly 20 years in a personal quest to address climate change. I adapt, occasionally innovate, and often improvise to do what I think is right.

  • I bring a broad perspective to my work — While science can help bridge disparate cultures, enlarge worldviews, and offer technical solutions, I concluded long ago that its scope is too narrow. There is no techno-solution to the mess we’re in. Ecological and social systems face collapse because we’re not making decisions compatible with our only home—a fragile and beautiful biological oasis. A broader metaphysical sensibility would help us deal with complex, contentious and ‘subjective’ social issues. While ‘objective’ scientists assiduously avoid such matters, the rarely challenged duality of subject (self) and object (other) is not only harmful, it is demonstrably false. This myth of separation dissociates us from the natural world that we depend on for everything. Integration, equanimity and cooperation are desperately needed – a broad perspective.

  • I believe our world has immeasurable value — and that we must behave accordingly. When I was born, Dr. Charles Keeling recorded 317 ppm of atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa; we have now exceeded 429 ppm (11 Mar 2025, NOAA) compared to ‘safe’ maximum of 350 ppm. Besides being of monumental consequence to our world, this inexorable metric has profoundly impacted my life and work. I deeply care about what I do, why I do it, and how it gets done. I am a signatory to the Scholars’ Warning initiative. This perspective might be helpful should more of us begin to grasp the fragility of our world and act accordingly.

A person should contribute to the quality of the world. – Robert M. Pirsig

Professional experience

  • Quality Energy Design, Tres Piedras NM – Oct 2024 to present
  • President, Weaver Wind Energy, Freeville NY — 2015 to 2021
  • VP of Technology, Weaver Wind Energy (wind turbine manufacturer) , Ithaca NY — 2011 to 2015
  • President, Fortis America (wind turbine distributor), Ithaca NY — 2006 to 2011
  • President, Renovus Energy Inc. (solar developer) , Ithaca NY — 2003 to 2015
  • Consulting Scientist (X-ray detector software development), Area Detector Systems Corp. , Poway CA — Jul 2002 to Jun 2003
  • Staff Scientist and Research Specialist II (crystallography, X-ray beamline support), Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (MacCHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca NY and Howard Hughes Medical Institute  — Aug 1999 to May 2002
  • Lead Scientist (crystallography), HKL Research, Inc. , Rochester MN — Mar 1995 to Jul 2000
  • Senior Research Fellow (crystallography), Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic , Rochester MN — Mar 1993 to Mar 1995
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate (protein crystallography), Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas TX — Sep 1989 to Jan 1993
  • Postdoctoral Fellow (biophysics), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester MN — Nov 1988 to Jun 1989

Other experience

  • Informal collaboration with Dr. Luke Keller, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Ithaca College, Ithaca NY — early 2023
  • Organizer/Coordinator, Extinction Rebellion (XR) Ithaca — Jul 2019 to Mar 2020
  • Co-host, The Forecast – an interview and talk show about our social, ecological and climate crises, WRFI Community Radio, Ithaca NY — Jun 2013 to Sep 2016

Education

  •  Mayo Medical School, Rochester MN — M.D.
  •  Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester MN — Ph.D., Biochemistry
  •  Washington University, St. Louis MO — B.A. magna cum laude, Biochemistry

Recently exercised skills

  • Astronomical data analysis (with Dr. Luke Keller) – Python, AstroPy, NumPy, pandas, matplotlib, DS9, sedfitter, radmc-3d
  • Real-time data acquisition, processing and analysis (wind turbines)
  • DAQ software development – Arduino (C++), XML, JSON, Modbus, Python/NumPy/pandas
  • Web interface – HTML, CSS, Javascript/JQuery, Python, PHP

Other interests

  • Philosophy – nonviolence, values, morals, metaphysics, Quality (Pirsig)
  • Language – English (native), Español (apenas conversacional), Français (la même)
  • Indigenous cultures and knowledge
  • Endurance activities

Selected presentations

Most have to do with renewable energy. The latest ones concern Extinction Rebellion (XR). Here’s the list.

Publications

All are more or less in the fields of molecular biophysics and protein crystallography, appearing in peer-reviewed journals during my academic career between 1986 and 2001. Here’s the list.

Closing thoughts

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. — Robert Heinlein

I’m still working on a few of those.

Anything else you’re interested in is not going to happen if you can’t breathe the air and drink the water. Don’t sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet. — Carl Sagan

Finally, this is what has happened in my lifetime. We must all face what these data mean with open, clear eyes. The implications are dire. First, the starred * points are predictions (made in Sep 2022) by Dr. James Hansen, the world’s foremost climate scientist, out to 2024:

2024 update: Here’s the same plot with data points from 2022 and 2023 added and a new prediction of “accelerated warming”:

2025 update: Here’s the same plot with data from 2024 added. Dr. Hansen’s prediction of accelerated warming appears correct. We’ve passed the 1.5°C threshold and we’re on the accelerated purple line now. This leads to catastrophe.