I grew up in Indiana, the son of a college Theatre Professor (Dad) and a Library Director (Mom). My brother, Kyle, is a Chemistry Professor at Carroll College (MT). My brother and I enjoy running and birding together when we can. My sister, Susanna, is a Clinical School Social Worker in Iowa City (IA). I have a Biochemistry degree ('91) from Manchester College (IN; now University), and Masters in Science Education ('96) from the University of Washington (Seattle), and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Environmental Science ('04) from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

My undergraduate education in Biology and Chemistry was phenomenal and Manchester University is still one of the most affordable liberal arts routes to success. For example, over the past five years, 89 percent of Manchester graduates who applied to med school were accepted.

My wife is Dr. Sarah Zerwin, an LA teacher at Fairview, and our daughter, Jane, is a 2021 Fairview grad and is currently a student at CU.

I occasionally teach biology and teacher education courses for the University of Colorado. Most recently I team taught Skills and Strategies for Teaching Biology with MCDB Professor Jenny Knight. I swim, cycle, and run. I write. Here is a link to my book Why Evolution Works. I also do a lot of free lance curriculum writing and review work for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Biointeractive Site, a site with free science resources for teachers and students, and I consult for the BSCS Science Learning. Recently, I have done some curriculum writing for Princeton University Press and W.W. Norton.

For details on my other professional work, here is my most recent Curriculum Vitae

I have a blog called Mr. Dr. Science Teacher where I reflect on teaching, science, and teaching science in the public schools.