"I was influenced to teach by teaching itself," says Richard Chapleau, who left his profession as an electrician to become a teacher of chemistry and integrated physics/chemistry at Lancaster High School in Lancaster. His many years as an educator have strengthened Mr. Chapleau's belief in the need for a scientifically literate society, and they have impelled him to develop a number of programs. He has hosted week-long functions for National Chemistry Week, sponsored Family Science Evenings and invited "adults to do gene-splicing on weekends." As a mentor teacher, Mr. Chapleau lectures in a Foundation of Education class at Chapman University and offers frequent workshops and summer institutes focusing on the teaching of chemistry. As a member of Mount San Antonio College's Institute for Chemical Education, Mr. Chapleau has worked extensively training new science teachers. Mr. Chapleau has been named a 1995 California Teacher of the Year.
