What have I been doing since working in Dr. Paul St. John's laboratory in Pharmacology and graduating from the UA in 1993? Well, I moved to St. Louis, Missouri and entered Washington University's Neuroscience PhD program. After a year of neuroscience classes, I launched my own project to study molecular mechanisms of axon guidance in the developing mouse brain. I had a lot of fun doing my own research, especially in a great place like WashU, but as I got closer to finishing my PhD, I started thinking about what I was going to do with it, and whether I wanted to stay in research.

I decided to try teaching as a career, and so I left WashU with a Masteršs degree and enrolled in an alternative teacher certification program with the St. Louis City Public Schools.

Currently, I am nearly through my first year teaching biology and chemistry at Soldan International Studies High School. I work with a wonderful mix of African American, Bosnian, Vietnamese, Iraqi, and African students. Teaching science to such a diverse crowd of teenagers has been challenging, but fun.

If you are considering a teaching career, please feel free to contact me cpludwig@postnet.com

Chris Ludwig, UBRP alum, Dr. St. John's lab, Pharmacology.

The UBRP Gazette would love to hear from other UBRP alums who have chosen teaching as a career.