1. Are you going to school this year?
Oddly enough, yes. After graduating from college with a Master’s degree eight years ago, I’m back taking classes, though not technically for credit.

2. If yes, where are you going (high school, college, etc.)? If no, when did you graduate?
The classes are from NC State’s Food Sciences program and are part of a battery of food safety training courses. Previously, I graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering in 1991 and from Virginia Tech with a Masters in Chemical Engineering in 1995.

3. What are/were your favorite school subjects?
Probably “The Rise of Rome,” taken in my freshman year when I attended Tulane University. It was a case of having a professor who was brilliant in making the material come alive and I enjoyed the class immensely. In my field, the Unit Operations Lab that I took over the summer while I was at Clemson was probably the hardest, most demanding class I ever had, and by far the most rewarding in preparing me for working in industry.

4. What are/were your least favorite school subjects?
Anything taught by Bud Rice in the Chemical Engineering department at Clemson. Not a particularly nice guy, and an absolutely horrible teacher. And naturally, I had him for five semesters running.

5. Have you ever had a favorite teacher? Why was he/she a favorite?
Garth Wilkes (Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech) does a good job at taking an immensely complex subject, polymer science, and making it understandable. Plus, he’s a pretty nice guy, which helps.