Profile: Allen Inks

Personal background
Where am I from? Good question. I've read that we are all descended from stars (the matter of our bodies is cosmic dust cast off by stars). More immediately, I'm from the US of A. Born in Texas, moved to Guam for 3rd - 7th grades, back to Texas for 8th-10th grades, and then to Boone NC for 11th & 12th grades. Attended a quarter at Appalachian State University (whose football team kicked University of Michigan's butts in 2007! Go Mountaineers!) Then I joined the Navy, and REALLY began to move around.

I was a nuclear trained Electrician's Mate First Class (EM-1 (SS)) (E-6) on board the USS Ethan Allen, SSBN-608(B). After 8 years in the Navy, I went to work for the Detroit Edison Company at the Fermi 2 nuclear plant, during construction, startup, and the first two fuel cycles. I was a Senior Reactor Operator, serving as a Nuclear Supervising Operator, Shift Technical Advisor, and in the operational Quality Assurance group.

While at Fermi, I went to night school, and got an Associate's Degree in Electronics, another Associate degree in Nuclear Power Plant Operation, a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Masters degree in Administration, and then..went to law school for my JD.

Since 1992, I've been working as an intellectual property attorney (principally, as a patent attorney). Some of the technology I've worked on includes MicroElecroMechanicalSystems (MEMS), advanced braking systems (ABS, Brake-By-Wire, etc.), and laparoscopic surgical devices. No nuclear stuff - yet.

Hobbies include: flying (I'm an instrument rated private pilot), shooting (I placed about 113th in the national rifle matches at Camp Perry one year), and sailing.
Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home
1. Why do I run SETI@home? Because of the neat screen-saver. No, it's because everyone in my family are science fiction fans, and I wanted to do my part to help turn science fiction into science fact.

2. What are your views about the project? Seems to be taking a long time....I would have thought that life was more abundant in the Universe. Not that I have any training in the life sciences to base that belief on....
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