Ken Walz earned his PhD in Environmental Chemistry and Technology at the University of Wisconsin while conducting research with Rayovac and Argonne National Laboratory on advanced lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric cars. He has taught chemistry, engineering, and renewable energy at Madison Area Technical College since 2003., where he serves as the director of the Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education (CREATE). With funding from the National Science Foundation, CREATE provides renewable energy professional development, curriculum, and instructional materials to high school and community college educators nationwide. Walz is an alumnus of the Department of Energy Academies Creating Teacher Scientists (DOE ACTS) Program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He is also an adjunct professor with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, and an advisory board member for the Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP). Walz has been recognized as Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and as the Energy Educator of the Year by the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education.
