My name's Oliver. I'm an American Englishman and aspiring geneticist. Music is my life blood and my guitar is my veins, but I dabble in a variety of other creative outlets as well, such as drawing, cooking, and D&D.

I am but a humble man and am truly grateful to anyone who would board me in their home. I really wish to respect any hosts rules/space, and such, you may see as much, or little, of me as you like, assign me jobs (cleaning, cooking, etc), or instruct me on any faux pas whilst living in your space.

I very much look forward to meeting whomever might be reading this :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am a firm believer that travel broadens the mind. I love to travel and see the world, but more importantly the people of the world. I want to meet people all over the world, and be more engrossed in the real life of whatever place I'm in. Everyone has a story, and I'd love to hear yours.

Note: I am not currently accepting guests as I am out of the UK until September.

Interests

• arts
• genetics
• progressive rock
• progressive politics

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite band, unquestionably, is Pink Floyd. I also love the Beatles, Dire Straits, Springsteen (lots of dad rock, but I like lots of stuff, those are just where my heart sits). I also like early soul and disco. ie Luther Vandross.

Some of my favorite films include the Prestidge, Forrest Gump, The Dark Knight, and Monty Python's Holy Grail.

All time favorite book is almost certainly Frankenstein; my favorite series of books is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. My favorite author is H P Lovecraft.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My lab team, during an experiment my second year of University, generated a novel silver nanoparticle using silver nitrate and Galdieria Sulphuraria.

Basic explanation:
If you poke holes in some E Coli (bacteria), take the insides and combine it with a silver nitrate solution, the clear solution becomes yellow, as the innards of the cells form tiny particles with the silver (nanoparticles). This sort of thing had never been done with G Sulphuraria (algae). When our team poked holes in the algae, the solution turned red, not yellow like the bacteria. It turns out that this nanoparticle that we generated had never been created before, and thus, it was novel (new). The nanoparticle has some demonstrable antimicrobial properties, and we got our names put on the research paper of our professor.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I take a guitar with me everywhere and always love to have a jam, play for people, or teach others a chord or two (I used to work as a guitar instructor), but fear not I shan't play it unless asked to.

I like to work whilst staying with someone, whether it be helping to tidy your abode, cooking a few meals, or any other way I can possibly be useful to you, please don't hesitate to ask.

As a little thing I do, if I'm put up I try and draw a little picture for my host. It's a little sappy I suppose, but I like to leave something behind to be remembered by.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Finland, France, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Scotland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States