I teach chemistry, Advanced Placement Chemistry and organic and biochemistry at Rocky Mountain High School. I strongly believe that chemistry is something you do. To that end I'm most interested in developing hands-on chemistry experiences for my students that teach not only the content of chemistry but also promote problem solving skills and foster creativity and invention. I'm also interested in the interface of modern technology with hands on experiments. I continue to explore how to use technology, especially the Internet and CD ROM virtual chemistry simulations in the high school chemistry classroom. I find the accelerated block time environment to be an ideal way to teach chemistry.

I teach more content to a greater depth of understanding and use more classroom hands-on activities than I ever did in the old traditional time schedule. The accelerated block time environment is the most significant positive change I've seen in more than 20 years of classroom teaching.

During the summer I teach institutes in Small-Scale Chemistry for a national audience of teachers on the campus of Colorado State University (www.csmate.colostate.edu). Small-Scale Chemistry teaches teachers how to use small-scale labs as the central focus of the entire first-year high school chemistry curriculum. Advanced Placement Small-Scale Chemistry teaches teachers of AP Chemistry how to use small-scale labs to enhance student learning of the most difficult concepts of the AP curriculum. I fundamentally believe that best way to enhance science education is to put fresh ideas and quality hands-on materials into the classrooms of good teachers.

With Dr. Steve Thompson of Colorado State University I co-authored Small-Scale Chemistry Laboratory, a high school chemistry laboratory text published by Addison Wesley. I'm also a co-author of Addison Wesley Chemistry, fifth edition, ©2000 a high school text that integrates into each chapter's content small-scale laboratory activities that foster experimental design and problem solving skills.

I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Montana State University and a Master of Science degree in chemistry from Colorado State University. My masters thesis, "Reactions of ¹-Allyl Nickel Compounds with Quinones," is in the area of synthetic organic chemistry via transition metal organometallic reagents. I worked two additional years toward a Ph.D. in chemistry. I have published a dozen papers in the Journal of the American Chemical Society , the Journal of Organic Chemistry , the Journal of Chemical Education and The Science Teacher. I also write student lesson guides, laboratories and interactive animations and simulations for The Chemistry Place, an Internet site dedicated to the teaching and learning of high school chemistry (www.chemplace.com).

I was named Colorado Outstanding Teacher by US West in 1989. In 1987 Ronald Reagan presented me with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. I received the Catalyst Award from the Chemical Manufacturers Association in 1981. Easily my greatest achievements are in my twenty-one year marriage to Jan Waterman and our partnership in launching the lives the four children that have been placed in our care. Summer is in the RMHS Class of 2000, Jay is 2004, Andy is 2009 and Lee is 2012. Because my children go to Rocky Mountain High School, I'm committed to helping our science department remain one of the best in the USA.