Kenneth Miller, Ph.D., P.E.
AAAS/ ASME Congressional Fellow
Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Washington, D.C.
Background: I am a mechanical engineering professor at St. Cloud State University focusing on energy, HVAC, transportation, and thermal sciences. I am working in Senator Jay Rockefeller's office during my fellowship.
Question 1: Why did you become a researcher/engineer/scientist?
Answer: I started riding and racing motorcycles when I was 10 years old. Taking them apart and trying to make them faster was almost as fun as racing, which led me to my engineering career.
Question 2: Tell us about a hobby or passion outside of work.
Answer: I am learning to play drums. Back in high school, I played in the band and orchestra. Over the years, I often thought about starting again, but it never happened. A few years ago, my son lost interest in his drum set so I started learning to play them. That gives me something to fall back on if this engineering thing does not work out.
Question 3: What's your favorite food? Got a sweet tooth? Are you a caffeine junkie? Are you a chef or a restauranteur?
Answer: I have become rather fond of Szechuan Chinese food. There are only about a dozen dishes I can cook and half of them are Szechuan. Cooking them myself makes it easy to throw in plenty of extra red peppers.
Question 4: What's playing on your iPod/music player?
Answer: I have a couple of playlists with a little of everything, except country. It progresses from old Buddy Rich through Emerson Lake & Palmer, the Dixie Dregs, the Pretenders, O Fortuna, and Gustavo Santaolalla, with some odd stuff thrown in.
Question 5: If you were president for a day, what would be the first law you would want to pass?
Answer: Keep members of Congress together in a dormitory. Hopefully spending enough time living together will help them work together.
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