I believe that faculty must maintain strong and active research programs throughout their careers. Maintaining a vibrant research program is paramount not only to assure the success and intellectual growth of individual faculty members, but also to assure a quality education for graduates and undergraduates alike. Providing a quality education is requisite in the production of students capable of conducting quality research and thus who can help ensure that both individual faculty members and departments can maintain a high level of research productivity. In the arena of geographical techniques, I have witnessed too many graduate students possessing inadequate technical backgrounds, which often can be traced back to a poor undergraduate education. Thus failure to provide a solid undergraduate education, which in many settings is often considered of secondary importance to research, in the end often only serves to hinder future research productivity.
My own background has stressed collaborative research and I believe that much of the today's most interesting research is collaborative in nature. Thus it is necessary for today's researchers to operate both as independent researchers and to work well as members of larger collaborative teams. The growth of collaborative research also requires close interaction between faculty and graduate students to ensure that young scientists be able to operate effectively in such environments. In many areas of the physical sciences, especially in of geographic techniques, tremendous research and career opportunities exist outside of the bounds of traditional academia. Thus it is imperative that any research program be able to capitalize on non-traditional funding sources, including industry collaborations and applied research, as well be able to prepare future scientists for successful careers in non-academic settings.
I am motivated for conducting research, not because of the professional rewards it offers, but rather because I derive a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction from simply doing it. I find research challenging and personally rewarding in terms of intellectual stimulation. I also relish the opportunities it offers to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, which I believe in the end, make me a better research and educator.