EarthAroundUs.com

Jim is currently working as a K-12 teacher in the San Francisco Unified School District, and in the San Francisco Bay Area specializing in sciences; including Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science and Environmental Studies. Since 1984, Jim has provided freelance lectures on general science, (geology, climate change, mass extinctions and environmental issues) at various grade schools in SF Bay Area, Texas and Mexico.

 

As early as the 8th grade Jim expressed a love for the natural sciences, especially the field of paleontology. He worked at the California Academy of Sciences as a student volunteer and later as an instructor. He has identified and described new species and authored a variety of scientific peer reviewed publications. He has held various positions over his career including Exploration Geologist for SOHIO Petroleum where he explored for oil in Alaska, Texas, the Gulf of Mexico and California. In the 1990s, Jim was a part of a team of environmental scientists collecting the first toxicological samples related to oil pollution in the rainforests of Ecuador.

 

During his career he has organized and lead educational / research field trips in the US, Mexico, Ecuador and Argentina, exploring various aspects of natural history, geology, paleontology, marine ecology and environmental science. Most recently, he has worked as a lecturer and curator in the arts relating to the Mexican Day of the Dead, printmaking in Mexico, general history of Mexican Revolution exhibitions at dozens of venues including: Stanford University, San Francisco Art Institute, East Los Angeles College, Lebanon Valley College, Mexican Consulates of San Francisco and San Jose, CA, Mexican Museum, Richmond Art Center and the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Art. Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geology from San Francisco State University and is working towards a Masters in Science and Curriculum.