Leif Masrud joined the Polymath Foundation as a member of the Board of Trustees in October of 2008. About why he joined the project, he says:
Education in the United States is being transformed into glorified vocational training, but doesn't even succeed at that goal very well. Absent from typical university curricula is a focus on holistic, interconnected, novel thinking and ideas. I have long considered how I could have an impact on this problem, and what ways exist for individuals like myself to reform modern education to help spur on what I've been calling the ‘New Renaissance’.
Leif holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Institute of Technology, and currently works as a design engineer in the printed circuits industry where he is responsible for quoting new projects, collaborating with customers to solve novel problems, and designing and implementing new products.
Leif has worked professionally in many fields, including design and manufacturing engineering, test engineering, web design and development, teaching and tutoring, mural painting and installation, gardening, music performance, and co-founding a computer sales and repair business.
His hobbies include writing fiction and non-fiction, writing and playing music, reading, backpacking, canoeing, skiing, reading wikipedia, shooting, cooking, gardening, painting and sketching, and beer-making. He currently lives in Minnesota with his wife and high-school sweetheart, Sarah.