Alumni and Friends

Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, John Christianson grew up blocks from Lambeau Field during the Lombardi Glory Years which instilled in him a love of sports and competition. He graduated from Green Bay Southwest High School with high honors, while playing on the tennis team, participating in newspaper and forensics, and tutoring his classmates in chemistry, physics and calculus, foreshadowing his eventual career choice. . . .

Dave Peters '87, BS, chemistry, from Dansville, Michigan, works for BASF in technical services. He chose to come to Michigan Tech because a high-school teacher told him he wouldn't succeed here. "I wanted to prove him wrong," Peters remembers. He says he proved to be "stupid but saveable." "My grades weren't great," he says. "But after being here and doing what I needed to do to get a degree, I knew I could go anywhere . . .

From "The Chemistry of Teaching: Modic ’84 Earns National Recognition," Michigan Tech Alumni and Friends Stories, May 2025 Like any successful chemical reaction, great teaching requires the right elements. For Amiee (Larchar) Modic ’84 (BS Chemistry), recipient of the 2025 James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching, those elements include authenticity, enthusiasm, and a spark of inspiration. . . .