First thing you should know about me: I'm quirky. I think way outside the box and say things that simultaneously seem spot on and totally off the wall. I love a raucous good time, but also love a good serious discussion. Some say I am a tough nut to crack, while others click with me immediately. I tend to develop a diverse array of different dynamics with different people. Some people see me as very serious, while others only know me as a total goof-off. How you perceive me will depend on the dynamic I develop with you, which depends on your personality.

If you are an intellectually curious person, you will find my perspectives very interesting. As a student of the biological sciences, I think of Homo sapiens as an organism. Everything about us, from our complex behavior to our capacities for language and culture, as well as the malleability of these traits, are survival adaptations that have enabled us to inhabit every biome on the planet. Most of the strange tendencies of the human species can be made sense of in this context.

Prior to dedicating my life to science I was a very involved musician and visual artist. While my level of activity with these pursuits have necessarily diminished to make way for my new path, they are nonetheless still very much a part of who I am.

My sense of humor often tends towards the irreverent. If you take yourself really seriously I may inadvertently offend you, but underneath it I am a very non-judgemental person. I'm full of sharp witticisms, but be warned, I'm also a total punster (there's a little bit of sadism in that tendency). This comes with the territory of being a nerd. I am definitely a nerd, but pull it off in a stylish manner. Yes I like D&D, renaissance festivals, and Star Wars. Yes I work calculus problems for the fun of it. And I'll school anyone anytime at Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter II. I own my nerdiness.

I'm a renaissance man; really good at a lot of diverse things. I'm also very adventurous and a bit of an adrenaline junky. I maintain an active lifestyle. My favorite physical activities include climbing (from trees and rocks to mountains), swimming, roller-skating and bicycling. I enjoy a physical challenge as much as an intellectual one. I'm bit of a hippie as well; I'm thinking about sustainability with every decision I make, and participate in drum and guitar jams regularly.

By nature, I am a very kind-hearted, loving, caring person, despite my somewhat thuggish appearance (can't help that) and despite some die-hard misanthropic opinions. I know how to treat a lady. At the same time, I believe in open, candid communication. I don't play "the game." I just get to know people, be myself, and if we like each other, great. I have little patience for being toyed with, so please don't bother with that.

I've been accepted into the PhD program at SUNY-ESF, one of the top environmental science programs in the country. I'll be in the area until May, then off to Syracuse, NY. I'm not available for any long-term commitments, but I'm looking for some good times with some cool people while I'm still around.

Note: I'm pretty far removed from the American male stereotype. I hate sports, love to cuddle, and I'll never ask you if I can put it in your butt. Eww. Seriously. If that's what you're wanting...I'm going to need to get liquored up.

I specialize in ecological modeling, and want to study human impacts on ecosystems. My doctoral work will be on nutrient cycling in northern hardwood forests, particularly patterns in nutrient co-limitation.

science, mathematics, statistics, music (guitar, vocals, African percussion), drawing, shooting pool, dancing, making fractals, thinking, climbing, swimming, making an entrance.

My piercing gaze, my off the wall and outside the box perspectives, and at first I seem to be a long series of walking contradictions.

For me, this is the most tedious part of a profile to read, because it's inevitably just a long list, but here goes:

Books: Your Inner Fish, The Monkey in the Mirror, Beak of the Finch, Consilience, anything related to evolution and/or ecology,Naked Lunch, Ishmael, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Culture Jam, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Island, Brave New World, It, The Dark Tower, and many more...

Movies: I like lots of different things; I enjoy cerebral experimental/art films, goofy comedies, you name it, but I mostly wind up falling back on cheesy horror. I tend to enjoy movies Mystery Science Theater style. A few titles: Little Shop of Horrors, the Gremlins movies (yes, the second one, too), Goonies, Fright Night, the Bloodstone movies, Tremors, Critters, Return of the Living Dead, Eraserhead, Blade Runner, Videodrome, Reefer Madness, Airplane, all the Monty Python movies (I don't quote the Holy Grail. However, I do quote the Life of Brian), The Wolfman (the old one), The Howling, the original Dracula, Bram Stoker's Dracula...just a sprinkling. Getting the feel for it? I'm not. Is there method to the madness?

Music: Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Buckethead, Primus, Jane's Addiction, The Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Tool, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Ben Folds, Poe, Bjork, Nine Inch Nails, Thelonious Monk, Soundgarden, Rush, The Mars Volta, the String Cheese Incident, the Grateful Dead, Apocalyptica, The Parliament Funkadelics, John Coltrane, Pantera, Slayer, Iron Maiden, The Frogs, The Meat Puppets, the Butthole Surfers (especially the older stuff), Ween, Weezer's first two albums...again just a sprinkling. This may seem all over the place, but there are common threads. Anyone who can point one out will especially have my interest.

Hot chile peppers, good company, creative outlets, wild spaces, making music with friends, and freedom of expression.

Whether humans are going to survive the mass extinction event we're currently causing, whether we're ever going to learn from our past, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!? What kinds of amazing phenomena exist beyond the grasp of our five senses, what kinds of knowledge our species will gain before our demise, how nothing happens for a reason, and Oh, Crap! Did I leave my oven on?

This question sucks. I understand its intention is to let people get a feel for how we spend our free time, but it's insensitive to many people's schedules. I'm just going to give this a night off answer. I may be working on a research project, reading, on a date, housecleaning, camping, or rocking out to a live band.

Uummmm...look up my first name (Brannon) on urbandictionary.com. I don't know who posted that definition, or if it was actually me who inspired it, but it's a pretty uncommon name. Just sayin'.

1) you think blasphemy is hilarious. We'll get along famously. Come on, now, blasphemy really is hilarious.

2) you don't think evolution and global climate change are hoaxes, or that the scientific community is in the business of pulling off conspiracies. Anyone who has any exposure to the peer review process knows that scientists are anything but a cohesive group standing united to push an agenda.

3) Only contact me if you are GENETICALLY female...