The subject of magnetism and magnetic materials fascinates me.  Why do some magnetic materials make better magnets than others?  How is it possible that two magnets made out of the very same elements can have magnetic properties that are very different from each other?  Among many other things, I have done work on understanding spin glasses, the phenomenon of exchange anisotropy, the magnetostatic interactions among nanometers-sized magnetic dots, and magnetic tunnel junctions.  Recently I have become very interested in the Ising model.  I am also an avid fan of astronomy (particularly planetary geology) and acoustics (particularly the correlation between an instrument?s design and the tone/pitch it makes).  Physics is a lot of fun, but I also enjoy cooking, playing clarinet and piano, and photography.