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Vaandering, Eric

Name: Eric Vaandering

Age: 37

Project: OSG & CMS

Position: Omputational Physics Developer

Institution: Fermilab

Nationality: U.S.A.

First computer: Personally: Commodore 64. Professionally: Data General Eclipse MV/4000

Favourite IT technology: I'm not sure it's my favorite, but I think virtualization is really interesting and potentially has the biggest chance to simplify a lot of the issues we have with Grid computing.

1. What's your role within grid computing?
	I'm a developer on CRAB, the grid submission tool for user analysis on CMS, an LHC experiment. My two specific roles on this project are to ensure that CRAB interfaces nicely with the OSG middleware and to develop and maintain the interface between CRAB and the CMS offline software.

2. Why did you get in to grid?
	I'm a newcomer to this since I took my current position with Fermilab less than a year ago and my Grid work is part of my responsibilities in that position. I tried to accomplish some of the same things sans Grid ten years ago as a grad student. Things now are so much more advanced and easier in a sense.

3. What did you study at university?
	Physics through and through. I received my Ph.D. in High Energy Physics from the University of Colorado in 2000.

4. What did you want to be at school?
	From the time I was an undergraduate, I wanted to be a researcher at a national laboratory.

5. What are the highlights of your job?
	Well, the people, for starters. But pretty much every day is a new and different challenge and that keeps things interesting. The Fermilab campus is magnificent as well.

6. What are the lowlights of your job?
	Winters in Chicago.

7. What do you do when you’re not at work?
	I love to travel less explored corners the world, spend time photographing, bicycle, and scuba dive. I'm happiest when I can combine a couple of these things. I still haven't figured out how to combine diving and cycling, though...

8. What are your goals for the next year?
	With the LHC turning on this year, my goals are to do everything I can to make my little corner of CMS a success. That way we can make make the best of this amazing opportunity to explore a new frontier in physics. These are very exciting times.

9. Would you encourage your children to get in to grid and IT?
	We're getting a little ahead of ourselves here, aren't we? Ask me again when I have some. :-)

10. What do you want to be when you grow up?
	Younger. Seriously, I'm pretty much content with things at the moment, so I'm happy to see where life and science take me in the next few years.


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