What Nathan Does.

Being engaged to a scientist isn't quite like being engaged to a doctor or a lawyer.  When you are engaged to a doctor or a lawyer and someone asks what your fiance's profession is, you can simply say, "Oh, he's a doctor" or "lawyer." When you are engaged to a scientist, it is a much more complicated conversation.  Usually, it goes something like this:

"So, what does your fiance do?"
"Oh, he's going to graduate school for optical engineering."
For some people, this is enough.  They nod politely, impressed.

Some people, the more intellectual or curious types, want to know a little bit more.  The conversation ensues.
"Oh?  What does that exactly mean?"
I have practiced my response.
"Mainly lasers and developing small parts for electronics... that sort of thing."

For 80% of the world, this is enough information.  When it isn't:
"Lasers?  What kind?  What exactly is he doing?"
Here, I survive solely on my good looks and ability to be hilarious.
"Oh, I don't know!  I was just an English major.  BAHAH!"

That usually gets a few laughs and an easy shift in the direction of the conversation.
The other night, though, this wasn't good enough for me.  I wanted to be able to learn about the work Nathan does and brag to him about everyone who asks.  I don't want to be one of those trophy wives who doesn't care about how the money comes pouring in.  So Nathan explained to me...about 3 times... what exactly it is he does.  And, to be honest, even though I was an English major, the best way I can explain to you what I learned is through illustration.


So: Nathan works with small things.  Small lasers, small particles.

He uses something called photo resist... I think.  He uses this for waves.  I forget what the waves are made of, but they look like this:

So as you can see, waves normally move in this fashion.  For some reason, parts of the waves respond to photo resist differently.  It makes parts of the waves disappear.

This part of the wave acts as a mold, like when you pour cement into a mold to make a shape of something.  Now he can use this mold to make teeny tiny wires.  How?  He grows them, like crystals.

Other, stupider universities try to make wires other ways.  But they don't turn out so well.

The good wires that my fiance makes go into things like cell phones and small technologies.

So basically, Nathan is an everyday science hero.  You can think of him every time you use technology.  Without him, nothing would be possible.