"My name is John and I grew up in Fresno, California. I attended Edison High School where I won the Science Student of the Year award and received a 5 on my AP Chemistry, Biology and Physics tests. I majored in chemistry at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and after that I worked for two years at a small pharmaceutical company in San Francisco making cardiovascular drugs. I went to graduate school in synthetic organic chemistry at Columbia University in New York City where I taught, tutored and conducted research for noted Professor Samuel Danishefsky. After graduate school I worked at Merck Research Laboratory in Boston, Massachusetts for almost five years in areas of Alzheimer's and inflammatory drug discovery.

I have been teaching OChem I & II at a local University for the past four years to outstanding student reviews. I love the subject and I love teaching so it's a perfect match!

I love the outdoors, California (especially the Bay Area), music and long distance running. I love reading and learning more about the natural world around me. Most of all I love teaching, tutoring and mentoring, which I do a lot of in other capacities in my social work.

I LOVE organic chemistry. I have tutored many students, lectured and taught it at every level from high school, undergraduate and graduate levels. I have studied, taught or worked in chemistry nearly every day for half of my life. I love being able to convey the basic principles that make up the foundation of chemistry which allow for a much easier understanding and takes away the need for relentless memorization and flash cards.

Chemistry and organic chemistry in particular are incredibly wonderful subjects that are too often taught in a dry and brutal fashion. I look forward to hearing from you and working together to help learn all about this wonderful science!" less...