Growing up in Austria means I have two main interests (besides science):
music and mountains.
Music
It is almost impossible for me to remember a time in my life
when I was not singing. I always wanted to become an
opera singer and was actually training for that at the
university for two years. It turned out to be not as much fun
doing it on a professional basis so I returned back to science. Although
of course I am still singing!
Equally important to me is playing the cello. I started
when I was seven and never stopped. This gave me the
opportunity to play in many different orchestras and chamber
music groups including the TU Orchester
Wien (Orchestra of the Technical University of Vienna) and
the Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra
(PSSO).
Mountains
Thanks to my husband, there is hardly a weekend where we are
not out on at least a small hike. Although I was growing up
in the Alps the highest mountain I have climbed so far (and
maybe ever will) is Mount Rainier (4392 m), a volcano in the state of Washington,
USA.
It is almost impossible for me to remember a time in my life
when I was not singing. I always wanted to become an
opera singer and was actually training for that at the
university for two years. It turned out to be not as much fun
doing it on a professional basis so I returned back to science. Although
of course I am still singing!