Having been fast-tracked in 3M towards the U/University form that didn't exist in my year, I was forced to drop a number of interesting subjects (like English Literature and History) so that I could make up the territory, and complete O-Levels in four rather than five years. (And thus cram two and a half years of course work into 18 months.) I managed to scrape through into the Sixth Form with five O-Levels (the bare minimum), and added Chemistry O-Level in January 1964. A-Levels were selected as Zoology, Chemistry and Physics.

   I never really knew what to do with these A-Levels - medicine was an obvious option, but the thought of dissecting humans didn't appeal too much (dogfish and frogs, yes, but not Uncle Ernie) - so I looked towards pharmacy. I applied to Portsmouth College of Technology, and just needed to secure three A-Levels at pass grades. I surprised myself in 1965 by securing a "B" in Physics A-Level, a "C" in Zoology and an "E" in Chemistry. I soon realized that if I could improve the grade in Chemistry, I might be able to do better than Portsmouth. In Summer 1965 I applied for and secured a job in the JRGS Chemistry Department as a Laboratory Assistant under Mr. George Pearman, and worked there for a year, re-taking Chemistry A-Level in January 1966.

   I then attended The London School of Pharmacy in King's Cross for a year, commuting two hours every night and morning from New Addington, via bus, Southern Region and then London Underground. For some odd reason I felt that a Degree in Pharmacy meant I would end up simply counting pills in Boots the Chemists, and considered that a general science degree might provide more options. (Looking back, this is probably the most stupid mistake I have made in my life. A BPharm would have meant that I could operate a pharmacy anywhere in the country, and combine a science-based career with the business of running a retail operation, a career that now appeals to me enormously. So it goes.)

   During the year 1967-68, when I re-applied through UCCA to attend the University of Sussex and read Chemistry, I worked for Decca Radar on Purley Way in the Spares Planning Department. A major purchase during this period was a second-hand BMW Isetta bubble car, which I managed to turn over while negotiating a tight bend in the countryside - must have confused the accelerator for the brake. (It was a left-hand drive version, so anything was possible!) I enjoyed my three years in Brighton and Hove while attending UofS, and emerged in 1971 with a BSc with Upper Second Class Honours in Chemical Physics.

   I then embarked upon a career as deputy editor and later editor of Biomedical Engineering, based in Gerrard Street, London. In 1973 I returned to The University of Sussex to study for a DPhil that combined Research in Chemistry (NMR Analysis of Nitrogen-fixation Mechanisms) with studies in the History and Social Dimensions of Science, but left in 1975 to join Westinghouse Broadcasting, and subsequently London Broadcasting Company/LBC. I was then Deputy Editor of Studio Sound magazine for 15 months prior to becoming a freelance journalist and technical writer.

   I emigrated to the United States in 1980 and was editor of Recording Engineer-Producer magazine for seven years. Currently, I am a self-employed Marketing Counsel for a number of pro-audio manufacturers and facilities, in addition to writing freelance articles for several high-tech publications. I remain a member of the National Union of Journalists' London Freelance Branch. I became a naturalized US citizen in 1997.

Mel Lambert October 2002; updated August 2010; +1/818.558-3924 Email