About Me

Duran's Science Site

I am a slimy red Bruin! That is right I have had the pleasure of attending 3 fantastic colleges in my career pursuit. I began as a banana slug at UC Santa Cruz. What a beautiful place!

Then I came to UCLA and brought good luck as we won the national basketball title and beat USC 9 years in a row! I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Psychobiology and decided science teaching would be my profession.

So I traveled up North to Stanford where I earned my Masters degree and teaching credential. Go Cardinal!

Since then I have been at several different high schools, got married (Stanford Memorial Chapel picture above), and had 2 children. I love the outdoors, hiking, and continuously learning about science in the world around us.

Currently I am working with UCLA on Nanoscience education and UCSB Materials Research Lab on science learning that you will learn more about this year. Nanoscience has brought me many adventures and relationships with amazing people all over the world. I have traveled to Washington DC, Canada, Georgia, and Santa Barbara to share my knowledge and learn from others.

I am passionate about bringing cutting edge science and technology into the classroom to energize my students and show them the value of science. My mission is to positively impact diverse future scientists through innovative programs committed to improving health, the environment, and the world through science and technology! Key components of my Nanoscience class is creativity, design thinking, the engineering design process, and the intersection of science and innovation. My students develop their own research project that aims to solve an unmet need in the real world using new applications of nanoscience and technology. Nanoscience refers to the study, manipulation, and engineering of matter, particles, and structures on the nanometer scale (one billionth of a meter). Important physical and chemical properties change at this scale leading to new nanomaterials that can be custom designed for a specific purpose ranging from electronics, to filtration, to medicine.