I have more than 25 years of experience in the interpretation of cultures of the U.S., using interdisciplinary methods (emphasizing community- and institution-based fieldwork) on everyday, workaday life in the U.S. My current research centers on three areas: 1) Assessing the implications of recent developments in natural, medical, policy and applied sciences for the quality of life in America; 2) Documenting contemporary American folklife, especially in rural areas and small towns; and 3) Challenging the cultural, ethical, and institutional barriers to the development of understanding of quality of life in the U.S. at home and abroad. I aim to focus this research on coastal communities in Rhode Island. A brief bio and fuller resume are available via my WWWeb site (which averages 10,000 hits per month from more than two dozen nations).