The University of Toledo

GK-12 Personnel

Christopher Barr, Alternative Energy
GK-12 Fellow (partnered with Ann Hajibrahim, Central Catholic)
christopher.barr2@rockets.utoledo.edu
CV 2010

 I earned my B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Tri-State University in Angola, IN in 2006.  During my undergraduate career, I focused on the environmental engineering aspect of chemical engineering.  After graduation, I worked for a year as the Chemical Engineering Laboratory Technician at Tri-State University until I was offered a job as an Environmental Engineering Consultant at River’s Bend Engineering in Auburn, IN.  At River’s Bend, I developed documents for industries to comply with environmental regulations.  These regulatory documents predominantly covered air and water pollution prevention and were submitted to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA).  After a year of working as an environmental engineering consultant at River’s Bend Engineering, I decided that I would like to continue my education with the future goal of becoming a professor at a university.  At The University of Toledo, I am working towards a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering under Dr. Constance Schall.  My research is focusing on using enzymes to breakdown lignocellulosic biomass (ie. wood, grass, algae, etc) to basic sugars which can then be fermented into ethanol. After one year as part of the GK-12 program, I have gained valuable teaching experience in advanced science classes. I am looking forward to continuing my second year at Central Catholic, mentoring more students, and motivating them towards education and careers in STEM fields.