(See Projects story on the Well-to-Wheel Study.)

Where are you from?
I'm from a small town called Sterling in the southeastern part of Nebraska. I grew up on a farm, but my father really encouraged me to get a college education. I've always respected him for that.

Does your family still own a farm?
Yes, although my father has retired and the farm is leased out. I still go back there to visit.

Why did you study Chemical Engineering?
I really got turned on by chemistry in high school, but I wanted to try a more practical application of it. Chemical Engineering was a way to do that.

How did you end up at R&D?
I was recruited on campus and then asked me to come to R&D for an interview. I had several offers, but the key attraction to GM was that everyone has a car and cares about how it operates and what it does to the environment. So this job was a way to work in a field that affects almost everyone. I wanted to make a significant contribution.

What were your early assignments?
I've always been in the fuels area, but most of my early work was on using alcohols for fuel – methanol and ethanol. Initially I worked on blends, determining how the vehicle responded to having 10% of these alcohols in the gasoline. Later I developed a vehicle that worked on pure alcohol.

Are you still working in that area?
No, I'm a lab group manager now, working in Fuel Chemistry and Systems. We're interested in new fuels – which is my connection to the Well-to-Wheels study – but we also look at other technologies to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions, including greenhouse gases.

How is being a manager different for you?
Instead of worrying only about my own project, I spend a lot of time thinking about other people's work also. I talk with the researchers about how they can move forward on their projects and offer them advice and suggestions. I'm involved in a lot of areas, but not as deeply as I would be if the projects were mine.

How long have you been a lab group manager?
About 10 years. I like management, but I'm not sure that I'll end my career as a manager. Our new lab director, Alan Taub, believes that lab group managers should rotate periodically to freshen up their technological expertise. I'm interested in doing that.

What excites you most about your research?
The exciting thing for me is the potential impact of my work – making a major contribution to reducing the world's greenhouse gas emissions and stimulating this to happen in the transportation industry and the world is very exciting. My work can have a large and global impact.

What's a typical day like for you?
I don't really have typical days. Often I walk to one of the labs where group members are working and talk with them about the progress of their project. Several people might also stop by my office for similar discussions. As much as half my day might be spent focusing on a project I'm involved in, such as the Well-to-Wheels study. I often work with people outside General Motors on projects, which means a lot of coordination among contractors and partners.

And then every day I think about how we should change direction, where we should go next, what sort of research we should be doing. All of my work is focused on reducing fuel usage and emissions, so we think about the types of technologies that engines and vehicles could have to accomplish those goals.

It's frustrating at times because it's so challenging. People have been trying to make vehicles more efficient forever. It's a field where there aren't really any easy answers.

What do you do for fun?
I sing bass in a 55-person church choir that's very active. We put on concerts several times a year and just returned from a trip to Rome. I also bike, cross country ski, and fish.

I never get time to go fishing, except for a once-a-year trip I take with my father. We fly in to a location in Manitoba, Canada. Last year there were four of us on the lake, with no electricity and a CB that didn't work. We weren't in contact with anyone. It was great …