University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

My arrival at Penn State never felt predestined, nor have the trials and success of so many colleagues and peers I have met over the years. Very often I have felt like luck and an awareness of when it shows up have the most to say about our path through the world. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., is widely regarded as a life lesson taught to us through the flawed example of Malachi Constant. Since my first reading of this book in graduate school, I have felt it was more the story of Chrono, the boy from Mars with the lucky strip of metal. Chrono attributes his great successes in life to the luck given him by rubbing his thumb against this special strip, but of course we learn through the unfolding of the story that luck really had nothing at all to do with his journey. I am lucky that I had a hard time finding an undergraduate research laboratory, which led me unexpectedly to my first mentor, Dr. Linda Nicholson. I am lucky that she introduced me to her friend, and my future Ph.D. adviser, Dr. Kathleen Hall. Both of these generous people helped form my life, like Chrono formed the lucky piece of metal. During all of my time at Penn State, I have felt lucky that our great Department of Chemistry was hiring in exactly my discipline on exactly the right year. Maybe it was never luck after all; as Vonnegut would say, “so it goes.” I am deeply grateful to everyone here with whom I have had the pleasure of working, most notably the many wonderful students over the years. This is an exceptional institution and I am lucky to be here.