2010 Holiday Letter

Happy New Year from Berlin! Here is my annual update - in lieu of cards this year I've made a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project.

If I had to sum up my year in one word, it would be: travel. In April, I moved to Berlin, Germany to take a job with NOW, the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Program. NOW is a quasi-governmental (as in the German government) organization that funds R&D and demonstration projects on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. We even have a company fuel cell car which I get to drive on occasion! My job is to manage our international collaborations, so I get to work with people from all over the world.

I am really enjoying living in Berlin - it is a unique city, full of history as well as lots of fun, interesting things to do. I live in a small apartment in east Berlin, not far from where the Berlin wall once stood. Until the snow started falling in December, I rode my bike to work almost every day through the Tiergarten - it's a beautiful ride! While I'm here, I've made it a priority to take advantage of my location (and the cheap airfares!) and travel as much as I can. So far I've visited several different cities in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Slovenia, Lithuania, Denmark, Austria and Poland. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to see all these amazing places! I've also been lucky to have many friends come visit, including a big group that I met up with in Munich to visit Oktoberfest - we had a blast!

During the summer, I spend a lot of time outdoors, biking, playing beach volleyball, and rollerblading. In September, while my family was visiting, my dad and I completed the Berlin Rollerblade Marathon, which is the largest inline skating marathon in the world. We finished, even though it was pouring rain the whole time! I spent Thanksgiving here in Berlin, where I had a "traditional" turkey dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (better than I expected!) with a group of expats. For Christmas, I traveled home to Washington, DC to celebrate with my parents, sister and brother and grandma, and then made back to Berlin just in time to ring in 2011 with friends.

I wish all of you a very happy and healthy 2011. You are all invited to come visit me in Berlin!

2010 Photo Montage

Enjoy!

2009 Holiday Letter

Hi everyone, and happy belated holidays! Apologies for the delay, but here is my 2009 holiday update. In lieu of cards this year, I’ve made a donation to Partners in Health to support Haiti relief efforts.

As usual, 2009 was a busy year! After six long years of work on my doctoral degree, I graduated from George Washington University in May on my birthday. I celebrated both events with family and friends at a party at my parents’ house. Recently, the article I wrote about my dissertation research was published in Energy Policy Journal – my first published article.

One of my big endeavors this year was to train for a triathlon with Team in Training and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In January I held an Inaugural Ball at my house which raised over $1000, and with the help of family and friends, I eventually met and exceeded my fundraising goal of $4200. Thank you again to everyone who supported me in this effort! In April, I traveled to St. Petersburg, Florida to compete in the St. Anthony’s Olympic distance triathlon. Although the swim portion of the race ended up being cancelled due to the weather, it was still a great race and a fun weekend with my teammates. Team is Training is a terrific organization, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to train for an athletic event and have a great time doing it. After St. A’s, I continued training and finally achieved my goal of finishing a triathlon in June at the Philadelphia Tri.

As usual, I also did a bit of traveling this year. I skied in Whistler and Utah during the winter. In February, I attended a meeting for work in Oslo, Norway, and was able to visit a number of my Norwegian relatives while there. At the beginning of the summer, I joined my good friend Tricia and her parents on a sailing trip to St. Maarten, Anguilla, and St. Barths. It was an amazing trip, and I am very grateful to the Kanes for inviting me along. When I got back, I got back into sailing a bit in the summer by doing some racing on the Potomac with a local club.

I traveled to Australia for work in June and was able to visit Ayers Rock, a very interesting (yet remote!) location. In September I attended my friends Zhenia and Hagen’s beautiful wedding set in the Amalfi Coast in Italy, and from there traveled to Iceland to teach a one-week class on hydrogen and fuel cell policy for the School of Renewable Energy Policy to master’s students. Teaching was a lot of work, but I really enjoyed it and hope to do more in the future.

I celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas here in Virginia with my family, and then survived the onslaught of snow along with the rest of DC! I should have lots of excitement coming up in 2010 – I have recently accepted a one-year position with NOW (the National Organization for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells) in Berlin, Germany, where I will be managing international collaborations. Please feel free to come visit while I am there!

Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy 2010. Take care, and keep in touch.

2009 Photo Montage

With friends at President Obama's inauguration

Enjoying the fresh powder at Whistler.

Fueling a hydrogen car in Norway

Learning to cross country ski with cousin Linda in Norway

Visiting relatives in Fredrickstad, Norway

GW graduation

With teammates after the finish at St. Anthony's triathlon

Sailing trip to St. Maarten

Visiting Sydney

Ayers Rock, Australia

Barbecuing kangaroo kabobs

With the Geico gecko at the Legg Mason tennis tournament

At Zhenia and Hagen's wedding in Ravello, Italy

Riding Icelandic ponies

Snorkeling between the European and North American tectonic plates in Iceland.

Family Holiday Photo

Snowpocalypse!!!!

Happy Holidays 2008!

Hello and Happy Holidays! I hope you all have had a good 2008. Slightly late this time, here is my round-up of the year! In lieu of Christmas cards, I have made a donation to Helping Hands Cambodia.

My biggest news of the year is that I successfully defended my dissertation in early November, which makes me officially a doctor! The title of my research was "A Systems Approach to Improving Policy Compliance" and had to do with how the federal government purchases alternative fuel vehicles. My graduation ceremony from George Washington University Engineering School (in Environmental and Energy Management) coincidentally falls on my birthday next year - May 15 2009. I can’t think of a better present! A few days after my defense, I left on a much-needed vacation to Southeast Asia, where I spent two weeks exploring Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Japan. I trekked though small villages in Laos, rode an elephant, visited Angkor Wat and Mt. Fuji, and luckily left to come home two days before political protestors took over the Bangkok airport. It was a great trip, and I highly recommend visiting this part of the world.

I rang in 2008 in New York City with some friends, which was lots of fun. As usual, I managed to get in a few ski trips this year. I am still working at Sentech, supporting the Department of Energy’s Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies program. I was fortunate enough to do several international trips for work this year, and in June I traveled to Boston to present a paper at a conference – a first for me.

During the summer I took a few short trips – to Ottawa for my friends Jennifer and Mike’s wedding, to Charlottesville for my 10 year UVA reunion (hard to believe it’s been that long!) and to Columbus, NC to visit my grandma and get some dissertation work done.

Being done with a dissertation meant lots of extra time on my hands, and instead of relaxing and taking it easy (guess I’ll save that for next year!), I have decided to take on a new endeavor – competing in a triathlon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma’s Team in Training. This has been a goal of mine for awhile, but I didn’t feel I had the time to devote to it until now. In addition to training, I’m also raising money to fund cancer research. The support from family and friends thus far has been amazing, so a big THANK YOU to those who have contributed!

Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy 2009, and see below for some photo highlights from 2008.

2008 Photo Montage

In New York for New Years 2008.

The Chicks in China reunite at the New Vectors casino night party.

Learning about different styles of beer with co-workers in Essen, Germany.

Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle.

Snowboarding with Jennie in Lake Tahoe.  We also managed to hit up the craps and blackjack tables while we were there.

Driving a hydrogen-fueled BMW at the National Hydrogen Association conference.

Checking out local fashion while on a work trip to Russia.

In Red Square, Moscow.

My sister Lauren and I at the Operation Smile Gala in Washington, DC.

Jennifer's bachelorette party in New York City.

Catching a Red Sox game at Fenway Park in Boston.

With classmates from UVA at our 10 year reunion in Charlottesville, Virginia

Checking out wildlife in Brisbane, Australia

Visiting Kim and Chris while in Australia.

Annual hiking trip to White Oak Canyon, Virginia.

Visiting Grandma in Tryon, North Carolina.

With friends at screen on the green - movies shown on the National Mall in DC.

Wine tasting in Windsor, Ontario

In the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium - I also caught a World Cup qualifying soccer match that evening.

Exploring vineyards outside of Stuttgart, Germany

With my doctoral committee right after my defense.  First picture of me as a doctor!

Snorkeling excursion in Koh Chang, Thailand.

Exploring Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Exploring the Lao countryside by elephant.

With Team in Training teammates at our kick-off celebration.

Christmas Letter 2007

Happy Holidays to everyone!! 2007 has been another busy, fun-filled year for me! Check out the photo montage below as well to see some of what I've been up to.

In April I received a job offer with a renewable energy consulting company called Sentech and left NewVectors after three and half years. It was tough to leave all my terrific co-workers at NV, but I am really enjoying my new job! I support the Hydrogen Program at the Department of Energy and love it! I also support an organization called the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy and have traveled to Seoul, South Korea and Rome, Italy for meetings.

Speaking of, its been a big travel year for me! I spent a week skiing and snowboarding in Vail, Colorado in February, and in March I traveled to China with three friends to visit Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. It was an amazing trip, and I promise I will post the pictures soon (really!!) In addition to Korea and Italy, I also traveled to Boston, Detroit, and San Antonio for work.

During the spring I continued volunteering as a mentor with the ASTEP program and am proud to report that the team I mentored submitted the winning research paper this year! I spent much of the summer and fall working on my graduate school work, and successfully defended my dissertation proposal at the beginning of December. I am now working on my research, hoping to finally earn my degree (in Environmental and Energy Management at GW) at some point in 2008.

I spent the holidays here in Arlington, Va with family - mom and dad live just down the road and Lauren is back in DC (studying International Affairs at GW). Andrew was visiting from college at the University of Illinois where he is studying computer science.

I hope you've enjoyed this year's letter (also check out my photo montage below) - in lieu of holiday cards this year I have purchased a flock of ducks through Heifer International.

Best wishes to all of you for a wonderful 2008!