You might not think that a pharmaceutical technical writer would have much in common with a rock drummer. But, in the case of Peter Kuhn, the two are one.

Kuhn, AS '92, has managed to find the perfect balance between his love of science and his love of music. By day, Kuhn--who graduated cum laude from UD with a degree in biological sciences--works as a senior technical writer for Chesapeake Biological Laboratories, which makes sterile injectable medications. By night, he's often out on a gig with The Beltways, a popular Baltimore-based band that has two CDs.

A native of Maryland, Kuhn set several criteria for college: "I wanted to go away from home, but I needed a school I could afford. Most importantly, it had to be as good as, and preferably better than, the University of Maryland at College Park."

The University of Delaware, he decided, was the perfect fit. Inspired by a science teacher in high school, Kuhn decided to major in biology. He already had a well-developed love of music. A self-taught drummer, he'd played in his high school orchestra, but at UD, he began playing in college bands on a "semi-serious basis."

"My college experience was a positive one. I really liked the town and I made a lot of friends. I also felt like I was part of a community, which was important to me," he says.

Kuhn, who says he has long felt a "powerful attachment to animals," thought for a time that he might go on to become a veterinarian.

"I worked for a time as a veterinarian technician after I graduated," he says. "It was fun and I learned a lot, but, at $7 an hour, you really can't make a living." Plus, he realized, the commitment of veterinary school held less appeal than his commitment to making music.

"Becoming a vet is a life-absorbing process," he says. "I knew I couldn't do that and keep playing music at night. And, I didn't want to give up the music. It was that important to me."

Baltimore-based Chesapeake Biological Laboratories (CBL), which employs about 100 people, proved to be an ideal work environment for Kuhn.

"It was a new job for the fledging company and I sort of became my own boss. I could set my pace and go," he says. "After a while, I could confidently produce good work. I felt like I was on to something.

"We make drugs that are out there helping people every day," he says. "And, not to be understated was CBL's acceptance of 'my second life' in the band. Most people I work with find it rather funny," Kuhn says.

The company makes pharmaceuticals following specifications provided by its client drug companies. These companies come to CBL because it can be "too time-consuming or too expensive to manufacture the drugs themselves," Kuhn says.

Since joining the firm in 1994 as senior technical writer, Kuhn has worked on "hundreds of different types of products that include a seemingly infinite amount of specific manufacturing and testing needs.

"When it comes to the manufacturing of sterile injectables, you name it, I've probably written about it or heard about it," he says. In his position, Kuhn handles everything from writing reports and protocols about analytical studies to handling the approval of manufacturing batch records under the guidelines of Good Manufacturing Practices, the accepted FDA standard.

"Essentially, everything has to be in writing; everything has to be documented," he says, "and, that's where I come in." From writing the manufacturing instructions for the production of a specific drug to detailing how to put a specific liquid in a vial, Kuhn is involved.

"Consistency is vital in the type of writing I do," Kuhn says. "Instructions must be clear and understandable."

That same element of consistency has worked in Kuhn's musical career. It was 1993 when--"just on a whim"--he answered an ad for a drummer he saw posted at a local record store. He met with guitarist Jay Filippone and was immediately struck by Filippone's artistic desire to write and record his own music.

"He didn't want his group to be another cover band," Kuhn recalls.

"He wanted to take things to a different level." That five-member band, The Landlords of Mobtown, lasted two years and segued into The Beltways, a trio made up of Kuhn, guitarist-songwriter Filippone and bassist John Spokus.

"Our name is meant to reflect the lifestyle of the people who live in the Baltimore/D.C. area, where the Interstate 495 and Interstate 695 beltways run around the cities," Kuhn explains. "It reflects a state of mind, of sorts."

Described as playing everything from power pop to punk rock to roots rock, the band has built a steady following in the past few years and recently released its second CD, Stella on Mars.

The band's self-produced independent albums are sold at their shows, through its web site [http://members.aol.com/beltways] and via national and international pop/rock "fanzines"--small magazines put out by individual music fans. The band can be reached via e-mail at [beltways@aol.com].

Playing live at least once or twice a week has kept all three members "very, very busy." They also rehearse once or twice a week. About once a month, The Beltways can be found at Café Tattoo in Baltimore, which Kuhn describes as a "very quaint, unpretentious place. We have a following there, which is great," Kuhn says. "It's great to have a steady fan base."

The band also plays in locales as far away as Hollywood, Calif., and Knoxville, Tenn.

"Jay and I are good friends. We hang out a lot and have experienced many late nights and misadventures," Kuhn says, adding that being in a band "can be like being in a marriage. Sure, we've had our differences, but we work things out," he says. "I'm pleased that we have an audience in the Baltimore area that supports us. Who knows? Maybe one day, I'll be a rock god." (The Baltimore City Paper, it should be noted, recently gave Stella on Mars a rave review, praising the band's "whomping, hum-along power pop.")

Kuhn says his wife, Erin Stubler Kuhn, EG '93, has been quite supportive of his music, which he expects will continue on no matter what path The Beltways travel. The couple's first child, a son named Casey Augustus, was born Sept. 5.

"Being in a band is a way to express power and freedom in a world that does not easily allow expression of those things," he says. "The music scene, even in a big city, can become like a tribe, a kind of fraternity. Performing is an adventure that only performers can relate to. I think if The Beltways dissolves tomorrow, I'd be out there looking for another band the next day."