Erica’s early interest in teaching and learning led to a career in teaching—15 years teaching middle and high school science and serving eight years as Science Department chair for a large Missouri school district. She worked extensively with science curriculum for grades K-12, as well as science standards for Missouri. She worked in state and also in California at the testing company on the Missouri state assessment, writing items and scoring the test. She also spent one year, working for our state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in a cooperative program in which she traveled around southwest Missouri and worked with schools, administrators, teachers and students. While in the classroom, she received both local and state teaching awards. Erica used Projects WET, WILD, PLT and LEP in her classroom, along with other outdoor experiences. She now teaches the Middle School Science Methods course for Missouri State University and works with students and teachers at the Watershed Center in Springfield. Erica is also the state coordinator for Missouri Project WET and the Co-Coordinator for Missouri Project Learning Tree.