Biographical Information
Name?
David Jones
Current job?
Makerspace Technician
How long have you been in the field?
I went in the Navy in 1986, but I did not start working in a laboratory environment until 1992. On the civilian side, I started working in product development and testing for Hyster-Yale Group in 2006 where I purchased our first and second 3D printers.
How Do You Work?
What is your office/workspace like?
It is full of things that make me happy and a mostly cluttered desk.
How do you organize your days?
With mornings being the slowest time, I start the day with weekly and monthly scheduled maintenance of the machines and anything else that might restrict use of the equipment or computers.
What do you spend most of your time doing?
Assisting our customers in the I-Create Lab!
What are you reading right now?
James D. Hornfischer’s Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
Become the go-to person for something, and our Command Master Chief in the squadron would tell us if you can’t be on time be early.
What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?
I do not believe there has been any task in this position that has been unexpected. I’m often awed at the creativity expressed through the I-Create Lab!
Inside the Library Studio
What is your favorite word?
I have words that I overuse, but I can’t think of a favorite.
What is your least favorite word?
I don’t dislike words, but I must prepare myself to say the word “statistics” or I butcher it.
What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?
I’d love to be a crop duster! Watching them fly makes me think they are having the best time!
What profession would you never want to attempt?
After working in the tobacco fields as a young teenager, I can’t think of anything I would outright refuse. It was hot, and I would end up covered in the dark sap from the plants which allowed the dirt to stick better! It did pay well, and I bought my first sailboat at 14!
Everything Else
What superpower do you wish you had?
Flying, one of humanities universal dreams.
Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Wars, what’s better than a classic western with spaceships?
Marvel or DC?
Marvel. I like scoundrels who achieve great things.
What are you most proud of in your career?
I’ll give you two. Once upon a time I was flown by helicopter to fix the USS Gettysburg. A second, I was part of a five-person team that was given six months to have an operational, self-guided forklift that would navigate through a warehouse to precise inventory locations and to demonstrate it to our board of directors.
If you’re willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.
It would be between setting a project deadline with a huge critical step missing or starting a fire on the USS Enterprise.
When you aren’t at work, what are you likely doing?
Depends on the week, but things I like to do are play cornhole on the beach, sailing, listen to live music, going to sporting events, and relaxing with a book.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Everyone, I don’t feel like I know to much about anyone here.
