2 Do you wonder what it is that I "do"?

I have many hats and a few of them are "OUTSIDE THE HOME" jobs. For one I teach at Utah State University. For another I am a statistician. How did I get to USU you ask? Well....

After earning my bachelor's degree in math/chemistry eduction from USU, I taught high school for about 5 years. Most of that time I was half of the math & science departments at a private boarding school for troubled youth. I taught EVERYTHING from pre-algebra to trigonometry to chemistry to geometry to earth systems... You name it, I taught it. In fact, I occasionally taught TWO different subjects, at the same time, in the same room, to two different groups of students. Granted my classes were small (6-12 students), I had to be very ORGANIZED. It was a fabulous experience. One I wouldn't trade for the world! BUT... since we completed 1 & 1/2 school years each calender year in an effort to help the students catch-up, it was tiring. I loved working with the students, but that was draining as well. After teaching the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and the entire summers, ect., I was BURNT OUT. So, I took another teaching job at SkyView High School, the high school just a block from my new home & where I had done my student teaching. Although very different from the Logan River Academy, I ENJOYED teaching just as much.

It was a hard decision, but after only one year teaching at SkyView, I applied for graduate school. This time for a MASTERS in statistics. We had been married for nearly five years & decided that teaching high school wasn't what we wanted once we started raising children. A masters would open more employment opportunities; ones more conducive to being a mostly-stay-at-home mommy. So, back to school I went...only to find out I was PREGNANT 2 weeks into the two year program! The first year I taught Math 1050, Math 1010, & Stat 2000 as part of an internship. At the end of the school year,Nate graduated on Saturday & Allie was born (a month early) the following Monday. [He always said he wanted to be done with school before we had kids! ] I'm so glad Allie came early, because that gave us the entire summer to bond. But come fall, I went back to finish up my degree. Grandma JoAnne tended Allie 3 days a week so I could attend classes, but I traded in my teaching internship for another one doing research.

After I graduated I picked up teaching again, this time as a 'TEMPORARY LECTURER' for the math & statistics department of USU. People always ask if I want to be a professor. The answer is not right now. That road requires a doctorate degree, international competition, & a life commitment to getting published as much as possible. No, I like teaching too much to become a professor. I'll just take the STUDENTS! So for the past 2 years I've been teaching Stat 1040...the night section. I don't think I have much competition for the class since it is taught 7-10pm on Wednesday nights, but it is perfect for us, since Nate is able to be with the girls when I'm gone. So, getting my master's degree did open more DOORS! I teach one night a week & do research from home. No sitters, no daycare, but it is a STRUGGLE to keep up.

So most people understand teaching at the university, but the research thing gets me lots of puzzled looks. I work half time (20 hours a week) for USU's Center for Epidemiological Studies. We say the 'EPI CENTER' for short, but we don't do anything with earthquakes ;). All of my time with them has been spent on "the MEMORYproject". I got this clip from the campus paper:

"One of the largest studies of its kind, the Cache County Study on Memory, Health and Aging is a collaborative effort between researchers at Utah State, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Washington. Started in 1995, the study has followed a large group of Cache County senior citizens, investigating a wide range of health, lifestyle and environmental factors that may influence aging and memory."

More specifically, I spend most of my time on the "Dementia Progression Study", a study within the larger study. This sub-study follows participants who have been identified with some form of dementia, most notably, ALZHEIMER's. I started working with the study for my master's paper, but was luckily enough to be hired on after graduation. So what do I "do"? Mostly I write programing CODE in the statistically programs SPSS (also SAS & R). I do the dirty work of data cleaning, prep & manipulation. Manipulation is the good sense, as in getting it ready to run analysis on, not in the context of tinkering with it. My laptop is set up so that it is as if I am sitting in my office (the Epi Center one, not the Math department one) even though I am at home. Once every week or so I go up to campus for MEETINGS, but for the most part I put in my hours at home, during nap time or after bedtime. Click HERE to see a publication that is brand new! Dr Michelle Mielke, who is quoted, is one of the researchers I work with! It is amazing to me that so few people here in CACHE VALLEY are completely unaware of the amazing research that is going on right under their noses. Click HERE for more details on the study! JoAnn & Maria are the professors I work with/for everyday.

Anyway, if you've made it to the end of this, my LONGEST post ever, you have probably found several type-os and hopefully have a little better idea of what it is I "do" for my "jobs". I use quotes because taking care of my husband & girls is my REAL JOB!