• Michael Winters

  High School Science Teacher

Profession:

High School Science Teacher

Education

• BS, 1983 - Molecular Biology
• MS, 1987 - Aeronautics and Astronautics

Michael Winters is an engineering and technology teacher at Gabrielino High School. He created an Eco-Fuel Research Project to help teach his students about the possibilities of alternative fuels. His work with students has drawn accolades, including winning one of BP's A+ for Energy grants to teach about energy and energy conservation in the classroom. He believes that "understanding yesterday's technology impacts to use today's technology for creating tomorrow's technology."

What in your life inspired you to pursue a career in science?

I was born in Florida during that era when the space age was happening. Every child at that time wanted to be an astronaut. I definitely wanted to be in that arena. Life didn't provide me with the opportunity to go that route, but that excitement - that enthusiasm for technology - never left me. I was always tinkering, inventing, and doing things of that nature. Because of that, that inspired me to pursue becoming a technologist for my entire life.

If someone wishes to pursue a career in technology, what should they do?

To pursue a career like I have is to pursue a dual career path. In other words, you're going to need a major university education in order to get there. But simultaneously, while you're doing that, you need to get some skills-based experience. Whatever field you're getting into, if it is environmentalism, then you need to get out there. You need to walk the environment, you need to understand the simple data collection processes, whether it's through surveying - whatever it is - you need to get some practical skills along the way. So pursue those internships, even maybe elongate the education process so instead of doing it quickly in four years, maybe [stretch your education] over a seven-year period of time. Working full-time and then going to school part-time is a great way for a technologist. A technologist needs to be able to take the theory and the outcome and figure out the in-between. That's what we do. Without having real life experience, it's very difficult to do.

Where do you see the future of technology heading?

Adaptive re-use of technology is the new frontier. If we go into taking old technology and say, "Yeah, this doesn't work really well as a pc computer any more, but what are its other potential operations instead of going to a landfill? How can we re-use this for a different purpose?" So that's really exciting. When we look at sustainability as a whole movement, the opportunity's in chemistry, biology, and engineering to deal with waste management, water management, and to create alternative energy solutions. That movement - in one word, environmentalism - really is such a great umbrella which can infuse interest in all of the sciences, all of the technologies. That, in my opinion, is the greatest opportunity we have today.

Interview

A technologist needs to be able to take the theory and the outcome and figure out the in-between.

Michael Winters
High School Science Teacher

Web Resources

• Gabrielino High School
• San Gabriel Valley Tribune Article - "San Gabriel Schools Win Energy Grants"
• Banksblog - "High School Biodiesel Brain Power"
• Pasadena Weekly - "Grease Guzzlers"
• National Science Teachers Association