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Dr. Patrick J. Herak
Dr. Herak is a true renaissance man. Not only does he have advanced degrees in Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, Foreign, Second & Multilingual Education, and STEM Education, but he is an accomplished musician having co-founded the Dublin Community Bands and Dublin Silver Band, and founded the Dublin Youth Brass Band, Dublin Metro Brass, Ohio Brass Arts Festival, and Dublin Festival of Brass.
As an undergrad he was a member of The Ohio State University Marching Band for 5-years and can still be found playing with the TBDBITL Alumni Band. While at university, he has had several jobs including as a lab assistant (in Science Education, Mechanical Engineering and Entomology) as well as a member of the show staff at the Columbus Zoo, training various species of birds and other animals.
Dr. Herak was a secondary science teacher for 18-years, primarily for Westerville City Schools. However, he did take a leave of absence to teach at Aldenham School near London (UK). He has developed curriculum for Westerville City Schools, Dublin City Schools, Ashland University, and The Ohio State University.
Dr. Herak has served as an adjunct professor at Central Ohio Technical College (Environmental Science), adjunct professor position at Ashland University - Columbus Branch (Science Education) and is currently a Senior Lecturer in the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University.
Dr. Herak has presented at education conferences at the state, national and international level including the Science Education Council of Ohio, National Science Teachers Association, KEEN National Conference, International Consortium of Research in Science and Math Education, First Year Engineering Education conference and American Society for Engineering Education conference.
Additionally, he has been been a contributor for articles in ASEE Prism, the Instrumentalist, as well as the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting. Dr. Herak has also served as content editor and consultant for various publishers including Glencoe/McGraw-Hill and North Star Editions.
In addition to his leadership roles in the Dublin Community Bands, he has served as president of the Science Education Council of Ohio, on the Ohio Department of Education Physical Science Standards Writing Team, the National Congress on Science Education, and is currently on the Columbus School Board Neighborhood School Development Partnership (NSDP) Committee as well as President of the North American Brass Band Association.
Past Courses/ Topics Taught
Science
Geology/ Earth Science
Ecology/ Environmental Science (including AP)
Biology
Chemistry
Physics (Including A-Levels and Physical Science)
Math
Algebra
Geometry
Mathematics for Engineers
Engineering
Fundamentals of Engineering (Regular and Honors)
- Coding
- CAD (SolidWorks & OnShape)
- Engineering Design
- Integrated Business and Engineering
STEM Education
Science Education Methods
Student Teaching Seminar
History
Engineering the Castles and Cathedrals of the British Isles