Seeing the Invisible: Doug Balmer’s Science of Superpowers

Seeing the Invisible: Doug Balmer’s Science of Superpowers

Doug Balmer has a theory about the human body. We think we have five senses. In reality, we have somewhere between 20 and 30. And in his chemistry and STEAM Research classes at Warwick High School, he’s found a way to give students a few more.

“Warwick Education Foundation grants have purchased the equipment that has made Warwick’s STEAM Research program so successful. “

Most humans can see light between 400 and 700 nanometers (the visible spectrum), but Doug’s students have instruments that allow them to see infrared and ultraviolet light. They can visualize audible and imperceptible sound waves. They can detect the molecules in the air responsible for scent. In his classroom, the invisible becomes visible.

“The equipment we receive gives students extra superpowers to make sense of the world around them.”

Doug grew up just down the road in Manheim. He earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Bridgewater College before completing a master’s in chemistry and chemistry education at the University of Pennsylvania. At Warwick, Doug wears several hats: coaching AP Chemistry students through rigorous coursework, helping College-Prep students understand the world at an atomic and molecular level, and coordinating the district’s STEAM Research program.

That last role has produced some remarkable results. The International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is invitation-only, with typically just 12 to 18 students from across Pennsylvania making the cut each year. According to Doug, it’s the “Olympics” of high school science researchers. A student from Warwick has attended ISEF for the past three consecutive years. “That would not have been possible without Warwick Education Foundation’s support,” said Doug.

Doug still lights up when a new delivery of equipment arrives. He likens it to the excitement of Christmas morning. And that excitement transfers to his students, especially when they learn how rare it is to access this equipment at the high school level.

That’s the gift our community keeps giving, and Warwick students are the ones who get to unwrap it.

Want to help put more tools in the hands of students like Doug’s? Visit warwickef.org/support.