Physics: it is pretty much everything we do. It is happening when we walk or interact with anything. Or really when anything does anything. It is a wide topic with so many different schools of understanding. Recently at Highland there has been one man with the task of widening Highland’s minds to this vast topic: our new physics teacher Kyle Dittmer.

Dittmer has worked at many schools including Murray High School here in Utah and other schools in Washington, Dittmer’s home state. He has taught many different subjects: Chemistry, Mathematics, and Calculus, most often at the AP level. This is not his first time teaching Physics either. He has taught Physics for many years, mostly at Murray.

“I have kind of run the gamut. I’m sort of the jack-of-all-trades and cover whatever needs to be covered.” Dittmer said.

It is clear that Mr Dittmer has a vast knowledge of the maths and sciences and has many years of teaching experience, but teaching hasn’t been his only profession. Before teaching, Dittmer worked in HAZMAT. That is to say, he worked to dispose of hazardous materials like compounds that cause illness or disease or that would eat your skin off. He worked for an EPA contractor in the Utah/Montana/Colorado/Wyoming area. His job, specifically as a chemist, was to develop testing kits for people to help them determine which materials they were dealing with.

“Usually it was cleaning up meth houses in Utah. Or mold. And then sometimes you get big jobs like the Columbia Shuttle in Texas we were down on the clean up because of the rocket fuel in pipes.” Dittmer said.

This job, especially in cases like the Space Shuttle Columbia, is important. Without it there is no telling what illness and environmental disasters would occur. So we have people like Dittmer walking around in the backwoods of Texas to thank for our flesh not being eaten off by some caustic substance.

Math and science are vital skills in life. They can be put to many uses are are essential to many career paths. Dittmer has used his knowledge of chemistry and other sciences to not only help others and prevent disasters but to teach the next generation and let them learn to help the world as well. Although the impact of his teaching may not directly impact the earth and the people around you as working as a HAZMAT, it may prove to be more impactful, as his students go out into the world to make their own mark.