He holds degrees in Chemistry (Seattle Pacific University) and Science Education (Oregon State University), earning his Masters of Science from Oregon State. He is a Murdock Charitable Trust “Partners in Science” Fellow and was named Oregon’s Teacher of the Year in 2006. He holds National Board Certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards in Adolescent/Young Adult Science. He currently serves on the Chalkboard Project’s Distinguish Educators Council and is an adjunct professor in the College of Education for Concordia University-Portland.