Academic Director
Academic Life
Dr. Gary Michels, has been teaching chemistry since 1986 at Creighton University. He has led the Encuentro Dominicano program since August of 2007. Dr. Michels’ has deeply involved himself in the issue of water quality in the campos of the Dominican countryside. For nearly five years he has traveled for nearly a month to test, assemble, and troubleshoot a low-cost, two-bucket water filtration system. These filters are available through the ILAC Mission and highly visible in many of the homes where the ILAC Mission works. In 2005, Dr. Michels began accepting student applications to accompany him during his spring travel. His consistent presence at the ILAC Mission, as well as, his knowledge and experience of the Dominican Republic made him an excellent choice to lead the Encuentro Program for the Fall of 2007.
In addition to his teaching, Dr. Michels is constantly finding fun ways to teach chemistry to high school and middle school students, having done presentations throughout the Omaha area. His presentations include a vast array of science and chemistry where he relates density, pressure, acid/base reactions, chemical reactions, combustion reactions, and solution chemistry to students. In addition to these presentations, Dr. Michels has numerous hands on workshops for students.