Ronda Fields has spent 25 years serving the LRSEF, beginning as a teacher sponsor and working her way up to where she is now. She has sent a total of 23 students to the International Science & Engineering Fair. Ronda is enthusiastic and thrilled to be named the new co-director. She loves what the fair does for the students, igniting a spark or keeping their passions alive. Ronda joked that she hears her quieter students talk the most while they are working on fair projects. A huge advocator and fan of the fair, she sees the benefits of these projects far and wide. From the inception of a project, to the research, planning, presenting, and conclusions – Ronda knows that these aren’t just science projects. They are an aid for students to better learn, understand, and communicate. She can’t wait to see you at the fair this year!
Fred Whittaker is originally from Waukegan, Illinois. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Louisville. Science has been a life-long passion of his, one he inherited from his parents who both taught him to hold the elegance and mysteries of the Universe in awe. He has taught science at St. Francis of Assisi School for the past 11 years and he has been a devotee of the independent research which underpins science fairs during his entire teaching career. He was also on the part-time educator team at the Kentucky Science Center for many years as an inspirer of informal STEM learning. Mr. Whittaker has two children, Christine and Michael who also love to wonder about the world. In his free time Fred enjoys photography, keeping up with the discoveries made by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Holocaust research and compassion initiatives, volunteering at Catholic Charities, and hiking.