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.bmp) Cynthia Alonzo, M.S. - Microbiology
Cynthia Alonzo, M.S. has been an Adjunct Professor of Microbiology for Colorado Community College–Online since 2000. Cynthia has a B.S. in Genetics, a M.S. in Molecular Biology, and an M.S. in Education. She began her science career working as a researcher in virology and molecular biology. She taught a one-semester microbiology course and loved teaching far more than she enjoyed research, so she returned to college for an additional master’s degree and began to focus on teaching full time. Cynthia strongly believes that online instruction will play an increasingly larger role in the future of education and wants to ensure rigorous lab science courses like microbiology are included in this growth. For this reason, Cynthia chose to work with Hands-On Labs, Inc. and is the author of a microbiology lab manual around which the MBK LabPaq is based.
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 Peter Jeschofnig, PhD - Chemistry and Physics, Hands-On-Labs, Inc. Co-Founder
Peter Jeschofnig, PhD is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Physics with Colorado Mountain College, an adjunct Physics professor for CCC-OnLine, and Co-Founder of Hands-On Labs, Inc. which produces LabPaqs. Peter obtained undergraduate degrees in geology and general sciences at West Texas State and graduate degrees in Geology and Anthropology, including a PhD in stone-age Archeology, from Southern Methodist University. He subsequently earned Masters’ degrees in Chemistry, Physics and Science Education plus he completed another Doctorate in Adult Science Education from Colorado State University. His illustrious academic career includes 20 years at Colorado Mountain College where he taught Environmental Science, Anthropology, Chemistry, and Physics at CMC’s Leadville and Glenwood Spring Campuses. He also served as head of the Environmental Science-Water Quality Program and as the Head of the CMC’s District-wide Science Department. Peter was named Colorado's Distance Educator of the Year in 2001 and honored by CMC as Faculty Member of the Year in 1994 and 2007. He was recognized by Colorado Community Colleges Online as a Gold Medal Faculty Member. Peter was awarded two Fulbright Professorships, one with Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia (1994-1995) and one at the University of Namibia in Windhoek (2003-2004).
Believing that effective science experimentation could be performed at home, Peter and his wife Linda produced a unique micro-scale based chemistry kit for Peter’s students in 1994. The effectiveness of this kit soon had other professors asking to adopt it. Hands-On-Labs, Inc. (HOL) evolved from this initial effort and subsequent collaboration with distinguished science educators in other disciplines. The company now produces over 80 course-specific LabPaqs. Dr. Jeschofnig retired from Colorado Mountain College in July 2007 and now serves as the Director of Research for HOL. He is also Rotary’s District Governor (2009-2010) for District 5470.
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 Trina Riegel, M.S. - Geology
Trina Riegel is an Adjunct Professor of Physical and Historical Geology for CCC-OnLine where she began teaching in 2000. She also teaches online Geology courses for Laramie County Community College and the University of Maryland and previously taught at Pikes Peak Community College. She holds a BA in Geology from the University of Minnesota and a Masters of Science in Geological Sciences from the Michigan State University. As an undergraduate, she studied the geology of the southwestern United States, Big Bend National Park in Texas, and the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. She also worked on an undergraduate research program studying "boulder pavement" in Minnesota and South Dakota. While in graduate school, Trina studied layers of clay minerals spanning 10,000 years around Lake Michigan to determine the lake’s different sources over time. She discovered that Lake Michigan had been both smaller and larger than it is today, and during one period it overlapped with Lake Superior, forming a very large "Great Lake". In 2005 and 2006 Trina put some real distance into distance education by teaching her courses from northern Italy where she visited and researched several geologic sites. Trina is the author of the geologic lab manuals around which the GK-1 and GK-2 Geology LabPaqs are based.
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Laszlo Vass, PhD - Anatomy & Physiology
Laszlo Vass is an Adjunct Professor teaching General Biology online for the Community College and has also taught both semesters of college-level Anatomy and Physiology. He teaches Biology and Anatomy and Physiology at Monarch High School in Louisville, CO. He has developed online materials for the Boulder Valley Public School District and serves on the Colorado State Science Commission, which is an advisory board to the legislature, for K-12 science curriculum. Lazlo is the author of LabPaq’s Anatomy and Physiology lab manuals.
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 Marge Vorndam, M.S. - Biology
Marge Vorndam is an instructor and course designer for Colorado Community College Online and teaches Biology for Science Majors, Environmental Science, and Botany since 2001. She is also an academic web developer for Colorado State University, Pueblo, CO. Marge earned a BS in Biology with an emphasis on Environmental Studies from SUNY/Courtland and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. She has been employed in the field of biology for over 35 years. She has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Natural Resources and Conservation Service, other government agencies, and in private industry in R&D and environmental engineering. Her experience in biological applications has resulted in lab manuals for LabPaqs BK-2A and BK-2B which are college biology courses for home use by science majors.
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 Kate Lormand, M.S. – Researcher in Biological Sciences
Kate Lormand, M.S. has been an adjunct biology professor for 20 years and teaches online courses for Colorado Community College Online, as well as face-to-face courses. Kate earned her BS degree in Botany from Colorado State University and a Masters Degree in Plant Genetics and Agriculture from the University of Arizona. Kate has been a professor at Arapahoe Community College, Red Rocks Community College and other community colleges in the Bay Area in California. Her presentation "Dispelling the Myth of Effectively Teaching Biology Fully Online – Yes It’s Possible!" will be given at a conference for the Association of Southeastern Biologists. Kate’s educational focus is to help students become critical thinkers and apply the science they have learned to everyday life. Kate is also a biology researcher for Hands-On- Labs, Inc. and works to develop effective laboratory experiments for inclusion in LabPaqs.
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 Emily Barter, PhD - Biological Chemistry
Emily joined the Hands-On Labs team in March 2011. She holds a B.S. in chemistry from the George Washington University, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Indiana University. Her doctoral research was focused on chemokines, studying the interactions between Interleukin-8 (IL-8 or CXCL8), the archetypal member of the CXC chemokine family, and its cognate receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2. As a graduate student Emily was involved with K-5 science education outreach. At Indiana University she taught a Service Learning in Chemistry course, where college students worked together to develop hands-on science lessons and activities for local elementary students. Following her time at Indiana University, she worked for Knowledge Learning Corporation as a Science Curriculum Specialist; conceptualizing, developing, teaching, and writing K-8 science curriculum. She also filmed science lessons for teacher training. Emily is thrilled to be able to apply her enthusiasm and experience to continue working with science education and curriculum development at LabPaq. For LabPaq, she has authored chemistry, biology, earth science, and forensics experiments. As a native of Colorado, she is also very happy to be back working in her home state!
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 Eric Punkay, PhD - Biology, Ecology and Environmental Science
Eric Punkay, Ph.D. joined the Research and Development team of Hands-On Labs, Inc. in the Fall of 2011 as a science writer. Eric obtained his PhD in conservation biology and ecology from the University of California, Berkeley. Eric has been involved in field research on the Desert Tortoise in the Mojave Desert of California, Common Ravens in Northern California, parrot and frog research in the Llanos of Venezuela and avian conservation and behavior in urban landscapes in central California. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, Eric conducted research in meiosis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and translational control of RNA in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Eric has been involved in undergraduate education since finishing his undergraduate degree in Biology at The Colorado College. Eric taught Environmental Science at California State University, Sacramento before venturing into the world of non-profit conservation work at the marine conservation NGO SeaWeb. There, Eric worked on aquaculture issues and was the program manager for KidSafe Seafood; a program designed to educate parents about chemical contaminants in seafood and guide the development of meaningful Federal warnings and improved safety for children. Eric then spent several years working in the arena of residential and commercial energy efficiency to work on effecting change in how we consume energy so that we can make real movement in addressing the issue of climate change. In joining Hands-On Labs, Inc., Eric has returned to his roots, science education.
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