Bethany Springer, M.S.

Education

• M.S., Chemistry Education, Illinois State University
• B.A., Chemistry, Azusa Pacific University

Professional  Interests

Although her home campus is Summit, she also serves the Edwards and Leadville campuses. Bethany has been a chemistry teacher for 10 years. She grew up in Summit County, CO and after graduating from Summit High school she went on to earn a B.A. in Chemistry from Azusa Pacific University. Bethany worked as a Peer-Led Team Leader where she served as a tutor for General Chemistry students. Moreover, she was on a research team during her junior and senior years working on codon changes in plasmid DNA for the proteins PAH1 and PAH2.

After graduating, Bethany became a chemistry teacher at a school with an international program, where roughly 60% of the students were international from China or South Korea. Working there for 5 years, she developed curriculum for both Chemistry and AP Chemistry and learned how to provide instruction for English Language Learners. In 2017, Bethany and her husband (also a Summit County native), felt called to move back to their hometown where Bethany began working at her alma mater of Summit High School. Her time at Summit High School continued to strengthen her as a teacher as well as develop her inquiry-based curriculum. During this time, she also began working on her masters and graduated in Dec. 2021 with a M.S. in Chemistry Education. She then instructed a CMC CEPA General Chemistry 1111/1112 class at the high school.

"Everything is chemistry”, is a motto of Bethany’s. This is her mindset for all chemistry classes, that chemistry is foundational to all other sciences and the world itself. She likes to remind her students of this and teach in a way that helps students draw connections to the world around them and the other classes they are taking. She believes this is how she can give chemistry life and transform the subject from what is in the textbook to something far more interesting to students.

Since transitioning from adjunct to full time faculty in 2022, Bethany has loved to provide chemistry education that serves as a foundation to all other science classes that a student will be taking while in their program.

Personal Interests

Bethany and her husband have two boys and they love spending time pulling their boys in a Burley, on skis in the winter and on a bike in the summer. She also spends summers rowing on Lake Dillon and going camping. Whenever she has free time, Bethany loves to activate her creative side through crafting, sewing, painting, and other designing.