Growing up in Akron, Ohio Richard Edelen was surrounded by the rubber industry and manufacturing jobs, but the local universities were leading the charge into the modern world of polymer engineering and the area was abuzz with transition. As a result of being surrounded by science and engineering innovation, it was normal for him to see his relatives and friends of the family always tinkering with cars and electronics, or helping one another with home improvement. The Akron Public School would always pause to watch Space Shuttle launches. The idea of space travel struck home, but it also inspired him to dream of what is outside of our current view. From this point on, science, engineering, and space exploration were what piqued his interest. He always resorted to wondering how things worked, or where he could go. He explored more of the outdoors and began mountain biking. These little adventures opened his eyes to the geosciences and made him want to focus his studies on the Earth system. Upon graduating with a BS in Geophysics and working in the geotechnical engineering field for a year, he decided to move westward, where he landed in a small mountain town in Southern California called Idyllwild. His time in Idyllwild got him thinking about his education and his many mentors. It was due to this that he decided to step into the traditional classroom of science education. His goal was to be anything but traditional. His goal was to bring his life into the classroom, and a life to science education. He has been at the same school for sixteen years where he started the FIRST Robotics Team, and brought engineering and robotics to his 8th grade Physical Science class. Since the beginning of his adventure in the classroom, he started a family with his wife. They have a beautiful six year old Shepherd-Lab as well as a beautiful 5 year old son. He loves mountain biking, rock climbing, and hiking as well as long walks on the beach with his family. They also love visiting Joshua Tree National Park to relax and peer into the amazing night sky.