My mother taught me the two most important lessons I have learned: you really can do anything if you work hard and dedicate yourself to it; and, every person has a responsibility to contribute something toward improving the world. She taught me by example. When I was eight, she went to college to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher. Very few things in my life have been more inspirational than watching her, a poor woman with a husband and four children, graduate summa cum laude from college.

        Ever since I can remember, I have been interested in the stars and the planets. As a child, I persistently asked questions and read books about space, and when I was about seven, my parents took me to see The Right Stuff. Right then, I decided I wanted to be an astronaut. As I have grown and matured, I have become even more fascinated with the adventure and intellectual challenge of exploring the newest frontiers. I decided to major in aerospace engineering so I could contribute to technical advancements in space exploration. I decided to attend Boston University because of its Accelerated Four-Year BS/MS Program and its large international student population. Born and raised in Omaha, I had not had much chance to meet people from other countries, and Boston University offered me the opportunity to learn about 131 other cultures.

        After spending two years pursuing my passion for engineering science, I needed another challenge, so I applied to be a cooperative Education Student at NASA's Johnson Space Center. I was accepted and moved to Houston to work for a year at the preeminent center for human space exploration in the United Stated. In any given semester, there is a network of 35-70 Co-ops from various universities working at the Johnson Space Center. Many at NASA expect us to be the "future of space exploration." They expect us to succeed where they have not and to fulfill their dreams of interplanetary travel. While in Houston, I helped plan and execute space shuttle missions and helped train astronauts and flight controllers on the International Space Station Guidance, Navigation, and Control System. It was the most educational year of my life.

        In Houston, working for NASA for the second summer, I was able to tour the Advanced Space Propulsion Laboratory. There, I became interested in plasma propulsion, which is a rapidly growing field of great importance to human space flight. Interplanetary travel may be easier with plasma (ion) propulsion because it is more efficient than current propulsion options, and ion engines may even have the added advantage of deflecting cosmic radiation from crew quarters.

        At Boston University, I had decided to test my abilities as a researcher by working with Dr. Allan Pierce and his team, developing a fiber optic sensor based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer. One of the professors working on the project had convinced me to consider studying for a doctoral degree. I became intrigued by the idea of seeing what I could accomplish with only the occasional guidance of an advisor.

        I contacted Terry Jones, the Donald Schultz Professor of Turbomachinery at Oxford, who expressed interest in supervising my D.Phil. dissertation, which I currently intend to focus on modeling the magnetic field around an ion engine to determine the amount of cosmic radiation that can be deflected. Professor Jones has worked with a group at Farnborough that operates one of few ion engines in the world, and has indicated that I will do my research using their engine, but the majority of my work will be done at Oxford. Farnborough is recognized as a world class ion propulsion research facility.

        One may argue, correctly, that I could find a comparable research facility in the United States. However, there are many benefits of studying at Oxford that are not technological. I can attend any lecture or seminar in any subject, without having to register or belong to a particular college within the university. This open-door policy is virtually unheard of in American universities. I could join the Oxford Union to hone my debating skills--a necessary talent for engineers, who must defend their technical solutions. The Alastair Buchan Club and Strategic Studies Seminar would help me to better understand international relations, which is a vital component in the internationally cooperative environment that is space exploration today.

        The humanistic tradition that is so rich a part of the cultural heritage at Oxford has at its core a fundamental understanding of the notion that it is the nature of man to grow or die. That sense of growth is the essence of exploration. At Oxford, in addition to furthering my technical studies, I will have unique opportunities to better understand the human spirit and hwy exploration is so essential to it.

        Apollo astronaut Frank Borman once said, "Exploration is the essence of the human spirit." When humanity embarks upon the great endeavor of human planetary exploration, it will inspire us to work together toward a common goal. Once we learn how to cooperate to reach our dream, we may be able to use that knowledge and that hope to improve the human condition on Earth. This is why I have chosen to dedicate my life to exploration, and it is one of my motivations for applying for the Rhodes Scholarship.

        I hope to witness the fulfillment of all these dreams in my lifetime, but I realize it is likely that I will not. Indeed, it is even possible that the space program could be cancelled. Where that to occur, there are many other challenges I could embrace, from spending time in the Peace Corps, to using my plasma research experience to help find alternative energy methods, to writing science fiction. Whatever the future, I feel certain I will reach the end of my life believing, as Cecil Rhodes did, that there is "so little done--so much to do."