Craig Beals is the 2015 Montana Teacher of the Year, a National Board Certified teacher, and science teacher at Billings Senior High School in Billings, Montana.
He has taught Earth Science, Honors Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry and currently teaches Honors Chemistry and AP Chemistry.
About me...
I am a proud father of two young children and a dog. My wife and I have made our home in Montana - a place we absolutely love.
I graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman with degrees in Biology and Broadfield Science (teaching) and earned a Masters of Zoology from Miami University - OH. I was fortunate to get a teaching job at Billings Senior High School following graduation and have continued to teach ever since.
In 2015 I got my television Debut when I hosted a Special for the History Channel titled "Secret Earth: Yellowstone Supervolcano" and got to share my passion for science and my love of Yellowstone with the world!
I taught for Miami University (Ohio) in as a Biology Facilitator for Earth Expeditions leading expeditions around the world each summer for Graduate Students who are researching global conservation hot spots around the world. I earned a Master's in Zoology from Miami University in 2008 and was hired to teach after completion which allows me to continue to travel and explore the world traveling several times to: Belize, Mongolia, Borneo, and Namibia.
In 2008 I was selected from 450 applicants to join a research expedition to the Summit of Greenland's Ice Sheet through PolarTREC where I assisted a team of 20 researchers and explorers to study and measure the atmospheric changes over the ice sheet. We lived in tents in freezing conditions for 6 weeks and collected some of the most important Arctic data ever.
I continue to do research, most recently receiving a grant from the Murdock Trust to study the effects of a changing climate on Alpine regions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The project has taken me to some of the highest areas of Montana to replicate historic photographs and quantify the change in treeline (timberline) over time.
I was awarded the 2015 Montana Teacher of the Year and have humbly and graciously represented Montana educators around the world as I travel to spread a positive word about the importance and impact of teachers.
Through my business, Beals Science LLC (BealsScience.com and the BealsScience YouTube) I continue to spread my enthusiasm for science, education, and learning. I consult on science education practices, science equipment implementation, inquiry, and experimentation.
Today, I continue to teach and speak at conferences around the country.
~Craig