November 2007: Don (right) accepting a science-writing award from the Acoustical Society of America for a story on the shape of the cochlea in Physical Review Focus.

Like many science writers, I started out thinking I would become a professional scientist. I did. I got a Ph.D. in physics from MIT, got a job at Bell Labs, and had a great time for most of the next 18 years. I got a chance to see the whole pipeline of science turning into technology, giving me both a broad and a deep understanding of various scientific and technological fields. Perhaps more importantly, I understand the motivations and cultural expectations that frame the scientific process.

In recent years, I have been using that understanding to communicate science to a broader public. Along the way, I get to learn all sorts of cool science.

August, 2023: Don at Brandon Gap, Vermont