Richard Booker is a doctoral student at Rice University working under Dr. Richard Smalley, discoverer of the buckyball. He was lucky enough to get an outstanding education, starting with four intense years at Boston University earning a computer-engineering degree. After college, he joined the Air Force, where he managed weapon systems and researched battlespace networks while simultaneously working on his master’s degree in computer engineering.
After four years, Captain Booker left the wild blue yonder to pursue his Ph.D. in applied physics at Rice and delve into the “new” world of nanotechnology. Rich’s next ambitious adventure will be developing the armchair quantum wire (see Chapters 4 and 5 of this book) and helping to bring other nanoapplications to market. His interests include flying, skydiving, scuba diving, music, art, movies and, in his spare time, working on being humble.

Earl Boysen is an engineer who, after 20 years in the computer-chip industry, decided to “slow down” and move to a quiet town in Washington. Earl is the co-author of Electronics For Dummies, and holds degrees in chemistry and physics. He lives in a house he designed and built himself, and keeps as busy as ever writing, acting, teaching math and science, dancing, and walking.