I am a second-year graduate student in Michigan, who grew up in a combination of Minnesota, North Carolina, and New Zealand. (I joke that the first ten years of my life were the world's longest trip across the Mississippi.) I'm pretty easygoing, and get along with more or less anyone.

I'm also an enormous geek, but you probably picked up on that from the bow tie and the maths degree.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I traveled a lot with my parents when I was younger, and now that I have the resources to do so on my own there are lots of places I would like to see. I heard about this website from my younger brother, who has used it for trips and enjoyed the experience, so I signed up myself.

Interests

The oldest interest I can remember having is mathematics; it's not really a surprise that I became a mathematician. I also have academic interests in computer science and physics, and software development has been a hobby of mine for nearly ten years. Be warned that I tend to babble about these on end if not stopped. (Ask me about the Catalan numbers if you dare.)

Personally, I enjoy cooking and writing science fiction; I'm quite good at the former and rather rubbish at the latter. I also have an interest in world history, though not anything approaching academic knowledge of the subject. I also build plastic models, and have a good amount of experience in tabletop RPGs. In recent years, mostly due to having one of my own, I've developed an interest in cars.

• writing
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• biology
• computer science
• history
• mathematics
• physics
• science
• software
• combinatorics

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I worked for a summer as a systems administration intern at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, a major American federal laboratory which is best known for its work in the nuclear program, but also does work in various other fields such as biology or climate science. I was part of a team to attempt to develop a new distributed, redundant storage system, which the lab has considered implementing in the coming years.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I consider myself to be a pretty good cook, and would gladly make dinner for hosts. I prefer spicier food myself, but know a variety of recipes, including several vegan and vegetarian options. Favourites with friends and relatives include cabbage rolls, vegetable and bean pasta, seasoned sweet potato fries, pajeon, and pineapple chicken stir fry.

Besides this, I can also offer conversation, good humour, and the occasional spirited diatribe about mathematics and pirates.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, Germany, Portugal

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, United States