Patrick Harmon
Physics Teacher Country Day School, Escazu, Costa Rica harmon@costarica.net
Hi! I am a high school science teacher at the Country Day School in Costa Rica. Born and raised in Red Bank, New Jersey, I received my undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Rochester in 1980. Three years later, I finished by masters in environmental science at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences. The Peace Corps then offered me a two year stint doing environmental education in conjunction with the Costa Rican National Park service - an opportunity that I jumped at since it allowed me to pursue my two greatest interests (tropical botany and teaching). In 1986, I was hired by the Country Day School to continue teaching in Costa Rica, and since then I have given classes in everything from English to Astronomy to everyone from 6th graders to high school seniors. On weekends and during vacations - and with the aid of the National Biodiversity Institute - I have been able to study the local tropical forest and document the natural history of may of its arboreal species. The links below, then, are intended to be the beginning of an attempt to document the fruits of my two professional endeavors. The first two are directed towards anyone curious to see what a high school physics course is about - and specifically is dedicated to my current students (academic year 2005-2006) - and the latter towards anyone with a botanical inclination.