|
Welcome to my website! I've tried to live by the motto Savor and Celebrate Life in the following areas of my public life. Feel free to explore! Writing. Study of China's language and culture while at Yale, then exploring the Chinese sector of wartime Saigon as a young soldier, and many subsequent journeys have resulted in 3 books celebrating East Asia's high civilizations and their impact on modern America. Relax, You're Already Home--Everyday Taoist Habits for a Richer Life, (Tarcher/Penguin) is a self-help to enrich our daily lives. Jade and Fire (Random House) is a novel of passion and intrigue during Peking's 1948 seige. Yoshi and the Shaman: Shinto Golf in Palm Springs (publisher currently sought) is a novel of golf, Japan's Shintoism, and southern California. Details LearningWay. In 2009 I launched LearningWay, an academy providing tools for effective learning to students and businesses. Over the years, as a student at Yale and Duke, as a biology professor at Chico State University, and as a writer of historical fiction and nonfiction, I've developed a practical, down-to-earth system for learning material of varied contents. This system is presented in a schedule of workshops and in tutorials. Details Museum Builder. In the mid-1990s, I initiated a project to found a natural history museum to celebrate and protect Northern California's natural heritage. Friends and supporters joined to achieve this vision, and now our Board of Directors has partnered with Chico State University on a $4.5 million facility under construction in the winter/spring of 2009. The grand opening is scheduled for fall 2009. Details Community Builder. Wanting a more cohesive neighborhood to raise our kids in, my wife and I joined with six like-minded families to found a Cohousing community in Chico. Many design and construction sessions later, our Valley Oaks Village is a neighborhood of 31 families on 5 acres of land, living in individual homes clustered around a Common House and Green area. Scholar and Teacher. My degree from Yale in Chinese history and Ph.D. from Duke in Zoology gave me an appreciation for how non-scientists approach science--often with trepidation! Beyond my publications in scientific journals, in my 32 years of teaching prior to retirement in 2008 I used clarity, relevance, and humor in liberal doses. |
|
