Howard Romack is - and has been - The Backyard Scientist for years - both in and out of the classroom. He has inspired, and motivated, hundreds of kids in his middle school science classes and has enjoyed swapping stories and environmental experiences with them. His classrooms have gone beyond the traditional school classroom walls and have taken students, community members, friends, and colleagues on many exciting trips to the outdoors - to the streams, to the mountains in Costa Rica, to his own "backyard." Being an avid collector of bugs (an entomologist) he has collected insects in Africa, South America, and throughout the United States, many of which have been displayed in schools and county fairs and have been donated to museums. His home "houses" thousands of insect specimens which he gleefully shows to any interested onlooker (in addition to the snakes and his former house-mate, a 300 pound snapping turtle). As he says, "Fortunately, I was encouraged to spend time (long before computers and video games) learning about the mysteries and wonders of the natural world which has helped me to pass on such information to others." And pass on he does... This book is a culmination of his experiences and knowledge of the outdoors - and his true passion on making everyone's backyard an enjoyable experience. Howard is the author and contributor to many scientific publications and popular articles. He has degrees from Cornell University and New York University in the fields of zoology and education. He has given hundreds of outdoor education presentations to area schools, universities and community organizations and has organized week-long summer science programs for several area schools.
