Who is TortoiseGeek?

Collector of expensive hobbies and cheap guitars. Sulcata tortoise and box turtle keeper. Freshwater aquarium maven. Personal assistant to four cats. Cautious motorcyclist. Avid rock hound. Coffee addict. And lastly: Pirate Bureaucrat!

 

My Past:

• 1995: Bachelor's of Science degree in Technical Communication, New Mexico Tech (NMT)
• 1995-1998: Technical Writer for a federal contractor at White Sands MissileRange in central New Mexico.
• 1999-2001: Grant Writer and College Survey Coordinator for NMT's Advancement Office
• 2001-2010: Research Services Manager for NMT's Research & Economic Development Office
• 2010-present: Institutional Researcher for NMT

 

Duties as Institutional Researcher:

• Assemble statistical data on Tech's enrollment for a variety of internal and external consumers.
• Report institutional enrollment and other relevant data to the state and federal governmental and educational entities.
• Perform data analysis to support assessment and policy development. One recent example was a 10-year GPA study of students enrolled in Physics I and II to track failure rates and ascertain whether improved teaching methods were having positive effects.

 

Outside Interests:

• Herpetology: I've always had a fondness for reptiles and amphibians. I keep sulcata tortoises, North American box turtles, and an aquatic turtle.
• Co-founder of Sulcata Station, a website dedicated to disseminating accurate care information about sulcata tortoises
• Member of the Rio Grande Turtle & Tortoise Club and the World Chelonian Trust
• Freshwater aquariums: An offshoot from growing food (snails, fish, and aquatic plants) for aquatic turtles.
• Motorcycling: My primary commuting vehicle during warm weather is a motorcycle. Current bikes are a 2007 Ninja 500 for commuting, and a 2008 Kawasaki Versys for sport-touring.
• Cheap Guitars: I own several guitars, none of which cost more than $200. I can barely play them, but that's not their fault. I need more time to practice!
• Weightlifting and working out: Trying to stave off middle age, one set and workout at a time....
• Dreadlocks and tattoos: I'm eccentric. So I might as well look like it. And really: proselytizing on behalf of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is SOOO much easier when you already have half of the full pirate regalia already in place, right? (Still need a hat!)