Joel Barton started teaching Chemistry at LASA in 2022-2023. Prior to this, he taught various science subjects for fifteen years in the Kealing Middle School Magnet Program.

Mr. Barton grew up in central and south Texas. He majored in Chemistry and minored in Philosophy at Texas A&M University.

Providing social and historical context to science content is very important in Mr. Barton's approach to teaching that content. Students will be better prepared to critically engage with chemistry material when they are able to view it as a part of general human life and needs.

Mr. Barton lives in Austin with his spouse and a cat (Berry). When not teaching, he enjoys karaoke, board games, video games, and hiking.

Hello! Nice to meet ya, I'm Mr. Bro, and I'm very excited to be starting at LASA on the science team the 2022-2023 school year.

I am originally from Covington, KY, right across the River from Cincinnati, Ohio (Who Dey). After attending the University of Cincinnati (Go Bearcats) for many different things, I ended up finishing in Biology & Plant and Animal Sciences. I spent most of my free time in college playing frisbee or working in one of a multitude of restaurants.

I moved down to Austin this year, after spending a year teaching in Kansas City, Missouri. Outside of school, I still enjoy playing frisbee, as well as my loves for cooking, the outdoors, designing & making things, and spending time with others. One day I want to open up my own pizza truck, but that's for another time.

Robert Chin, PhD has been teaching at LASA for many years, teaching Pre-AP Chemistry for 7 years and AP Chemistry for 6 years. Prior to coming to LASA, Dr. Chin founded Fabrico Technology and GeneXpress Informatics (GXI). Before starting off on his own, he was Vice President of Research for 10 years at Systems & Processes Engineering Corporation(SPEC) where he managed an 11 member technical staff of PhD’s, engineers and scientists. He holds 10 plus US patents. He held the position of Deputy Director of the Center of Strategy and Innovative Technologies (CSIT) and a program manager of the Chemical & Biological CountermeasuresProgram at the Institute of Advanced Technology (IAT) at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Chin holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Rice University and a BA in Chemistry from Cornell University. Dr. Chin has also been the principle investigator to a number of Army, Air Force and NASA SBIR projects to develop number of pathogen detection technologies and commercial diagnostic devices

Dr Chin enjoys meeting, teaching and mentoring LASA students and hopes he can maintain these types of relationships throughout this year. Yes I am a little bite absentminded and yes I'll also miss-pronunciate names and words! So it's going to take me a while to get know all of your names.

Prior to starting at LASA, she worked for several years as a wildlife biologist. She conducted surveys for threatened and endangered birds, reptiles, and mammals throughout California, worked on conservation projects with sea turtles and iguanas in the Caribbean, and surveyed birds in central Texas. She has a M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin, where she researched songbirds and habitat use, and a B.S. in Biology and Zoology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mrs. Cong lives outside Austin with her husband, two young children, and a couple of crazy dogs. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking and camping trips with the family, running, art projects, anything Harry Potter related, and a good game of ping pong.

Jon Croston has been teaching and coaching at LASA for many years. He teaches AP Physics and AP Calculus and also coaches Golf. He has over 20 years teaching too many different subjects at various schools, including the Croston School of Math. He was also a librarian in NYC and manager at a local Paintball field.

Mr. Croston grew up in Kansas City and South Florida. He loves sports and is a big fan of the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs. He graduated from Wheaton College (outside Chicago).

Mr. Croston lives way north of Austin with his wife, three wonderful children, and a zoo of animals. Currently this is 6 cats, 3 dogs, 2 bunnies and 2 guinea pigs. Although this may have expanded since this was written, his family is pushing for chickens. He wants an otter. When he actually gets a break he enjoys spending time with the family and most of the pets, reading and playing Fantasy Football.

Sarah Davis has been teaching high school physics since 2016. At LASA Ms. Davis teaches AP Physics, AP Physics C, and Modern Physics and coaches LASA Cross Country. Prior to teaching Ms. Davis worked in labs on multiple projects including helping to develop high energy density capacitors, carrying out comparative phylogeny using bird vocalizations, and exploring saline resistance in certain species of plants.

Ms. Davis grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and attended LSU. During her college years she explored such subjects as musical performance, architectural design, and classical literature before committing to a future in science. During her time working in labs Ms. Davis found her passion for scientific discovery and for physics specifically. Physics describes the world around us at its most fundamental levels. This powerful knowledge makes Ms. Davis’s classroom one filled with excitement and awe for the subject she teaches.

When Ms. Davis is not teaching she enjoys running, competing in triathlons, hiking, reading, and cooking. Ms. Davis lives north of Austin with her husband Noah, her children Penelope and Ravi, and her pets.

Hello everyone! My name is Ms. Estifanos and I am the Med Micro and Pathophysiology teacher. I grew up in the Austin area, but lived in the DFW area prior to coming back to Austin.

Ana Hernandez is from Mexico. She graduated from Texas State University, majoring in Biology-Microbiology and minoring in Biochemistry. She teaches AP Biology and Advanced Magnet Biology.

Prior to teaching, Ms. Hernandez worked in the medical field and volunteered as a tutor/mentor for other first-generation students like herself. She is excited to join LASA and is looking forward to learning from her students and empowering them!

When she is not teaching, she loves being outdoors, listening to audiobooks, reading, and traveling to Mexico to see her family and friends.

Ms. Kossa is a first generation college graduate. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Texas A&M University, and a Master’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from San Francisco State University. She previously taught science courses at the high school, undergraduate, and community college levels, and joined LASA in the Spring of 2022 to teach Advanced Magnet Biology and co-teach AP Psychology.

Ms. Kossa is especially passionate about making science courses equitable, inclusive, and accessible, for all her students. She’s really looking forward to getting to know everyone, and helping provide whatever support her students need to succeed!

Ms. Kossa lives in Austin with her partner and two (very mischievous) cats, named Big Cat and Small Cat. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games and board games, reading, playing basketball, painting, singing in choir, and constantly trying out new hobbies.

Joseph Oleniczak holds a MS in Biology from Fordham University and BS in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently and Adjunct Professor at Austin Community College in the Biotechnology Department as well as a Secondary Science Teacher at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School in Austin, Texas. He has taught biology, chemistry, introduction to biotechnology, and cell culturing on the secondary and higher education levels for the last 18 years. Currently, Joseph teaches Dual Enrollment Biotechnology and Research Internship courses through AISD and ACC. Joseph has led several campus level, district level, and state level teacher professional developments over the years. Joseph is involved at the state and national level in Career and Technical Education initiatives and regularly attends and presents at meetings. Additionally, He has worked on a number of different National Science Foundation funded projects over the years in a various capacities.

Hi! I’m Ellen Owens. I have taught Algebra 1, AB Precal, Robotics, Sci Tech and Astronomy. Before LASA I taught Algebra 1 & 2 at Harmony School of Excellence here in Austin for 2 years.

My mother was a high school choral director for 35 years in suburbs around Dallas, growing up she would take my older brother and I to choir rehearsals, competitions, musicals and every other vocal event under the Texas sun. I absolutely accredit watching her during those years with giving me my inspiration to teach. I got my first taste when I started teaching swim lessons and coaching competitive swimming in my late teens.

I studied Physics, English, and history at Texas A&M University -- College Station where I also spent a great deal of time playing guitar in jazz, funk, and rock bands. Ive been fascinated with physics and space since I was in 2nd grade after reading an entire series from my school library on the solar system. Working with almost every 9th grader in the wood shop is a very special role I truly enjoy. I sponsor the LASA Astronomical Society, Diversity Council, and the Dungeons and Dragons club. My favorite part of the year is hosting evening observations around town for all LASA students who want to come and stargaze.

I live here in Austin with my partner and two cats (Kitty & Sneaker) and spend copious amounts of time in my kitchen cooking and baking.

I am an organic/medicinal chemist by trade and have studied for many years under renowned scientists in the field. I've had the opportunity to teach, train, and work with students of all ages, both in and out of school and laboratory settings. I teach STEM at the high school level with the conviction to inspire students to give their all, and see the wonders of science that were shown to me at their age.

I have my M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Texas A&M University - College Station, and my B.S. in ACS Chemistry from Texas A&M University - Kingsville. I also have course work and graduate level research at Texas State University. Go Bobcats!

David Walker has worked in the LASA science department since 2010. He teaches Planet Earth and Organic Chemistry and coaches the Science Olympiad team.

Mr. Walker grew up in Austin before attending Middlebury College in Vermont, where he majored in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. He studied science education at the University of Texas at Austin from 2009-2010 and obtained his National Board Certification in 2017. Prior to working at LASA, he spent three years working in the biomedical research field at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

His favorite thing about teaching is making the natural world more interesting for his students. Since beginning his career in education, Mr. Walker has participated in field expeditions and research in Antarctica, the Arctic, the Gulf of Mexico, and Baja California Sur. This work has included laboratory research in field biology, organic chemistry, and aquatic geochemistry. He loves using these field and research experiences to create activities and projects for his classes.

Mr. Walker lives in Austin with his wife and two cats (Atticus and Boo). He enjoys backpacking, flyfishing, and birdwatching in his free time. He is currently trying to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in sections over his summer breaks.

Shontel Willie has been with LASA since 2017 teaching Chemistry and Forensics. Prior to joining the LASA team, Mrs. Willie spent twelve years as an Environmental Chemist with experience in Organic, Inorganic, and Nuclear chemistry.

Mrs. Willie discovered her interest in science began when she attended her first science fair in middle school and spent summers with her 7th grade science teacher watching human anatomy videos on reel-to-reel. Mrs. Willie continued to learn about science as an undergraduate student at the University of Northern Colorado (Go Bears!) where she obtained a B.A. in Chemistry, minoring in Biology. Before establishing her high school teaching career, Mrs. Willie worked as a contractor for the Environmental Protection Agency based out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mrs. Willie lives in the woods with her husband, Lamar Scottie/McCallum Knights sons, and rescue pup, Floppy. When she isn't working or at the baseball fields, Mrs. Willie enjoys traveling with her family, cooking, painting, riding dirt bikes and reading (I especially love book suggestions from my students).