Hi Chuck, I went to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. I did both my undergraduate and graduate studies there, which is a bit unusual. Most people get their B.S. degree at one school, and then go to another school to get their Ph.D. Both my undergraduate and graduate fields of study were physics. For the Ph.D., you need to write a big research paper called a thesis. My Ph.D. thesis was in the area of space plasma physics. I now work at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. We have a lot of students here who are studying to be scientists. Kris

Hi -- I'll start my response by saying there is almost no "wrong" place to go for college. Schools that are strong in science are wonderful, but so too are the liberal arts colleges where one learns to write well and be good at critical thinking. A brilliant idea, if not communicated well, will never get recognized -- good writing and speaking skills can be critical for a successful career in science, as well as being really good at both synthesis and analysis -- putting things together to form a bigger picture, as well as tearing into something and getting at the nitty-gritty details.

That being said, I personally did my undergraduate work at Yale, and my graduate work at the University of Hawai`i.