Abstract

I came to Caltech a scatterbrained but enthusiastic young scientist. Without the constant nurturing and tutelage of my PhD advisor, Erik Winfree, I can’t imagine what would have happened. Erik’s gifts are many – a generous spirit, stratospheric intellectual standards, a razor-sharp intuition for the truth, and a boundless imagination. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with him, to hear his constant feedback on my own imperfect thoughts. I hope in the future I can honor a tiny portion of his gifts to me by teaching others. As a PhD student I have been privileged to stand on the shoulders of other both brilliant and kind intellectual giants, without whom this work would never have been. First and foremost, my thesis work owes an unpayable intellectual debt to the work of Graham Cairns-Smith. His unconventional thoughts about the first life on earth were the catalyst for this work on self-replication. I am flattered and grateful for his continued support in the form of visits, talks, and letters during his retirement. No one was more honest about the rigors of the PhD process and a life in science than Paul Rothemund. As human and as good a friend as Paul has been, he also been someone to aspire to be like. Simply, Paul is a whiz, and a big friendly intellectual giant. I am excited about everything

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