| Chris |
I used to fly jets in the Air Force. Now I'm a full-time computer scientist and loving it. I'm home with my family every night and I no longer have to deploy to far away places. God bless those of you who still do. We'd be lost without you.
I'm a Research Scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute and a PhD student in the College of Computing at Georgia Tech.
Short Bio
I'm the oldest of 4 brothers. My dad was in the Air Force, so we moved around quite a bit during my early years. I was born in Biloxi, Mississippi at Keesler AFB and lived in Germany from ages 6 through 13. We lived in a German neighborhood and I became fluent in German. I am convinced that this had a profound effect on my brain and now strongly advocate the teaching of foreign languages to children. I still love Europe, have several German and French friends, and enjoy returning for visits, though I do it far too infrequently.We spent a short year in Hampton, VA at Langley AFB after returning from Germany. My dad retired from the Air Force and we moved to Shady Spring, West Virginia. Culture shock doesn't begin to describe the transition from Europe to Appalachia! It was a great experience, though, because we had a small farm, lots of chores, and I actually learned how to work hard (my hands were like leather back then). In high school I was into computers and wrestling.
After high school I took a huge departure from my technical pursuits and entered the U.S. Air Force Academy, (USAFA Class of 1990). My first assignment after the Academy was pilot training at Columbus AFB, MS. Just before pilot training started (the worst possible time!) I met a beautiful undergrad from Mississipi State University and married her shortly before finishing UPT a year later. I got "banked" after pilot training and did a 3 year stint as a space instructor at Lowry AFB in Denver, CO and Vandenberg AFB in Lompoc, CA. After my 3-year "banked" assignment I returned to flying in the KC-135 tanker at McConnell AFB in Wichita, KS. I finished my Air Force career at Columbus, MS as a T-37 instructor pilot.
After 14 years in the Air Force (4 at USAFA and 10 after graduation), I'm back in the technical realm working on the research faculty at Georgia Tech. My poor wife thought she was marrying an Air Force jet jockey back in 1991, but she really married a nerd in disguise!
