It was sometimes difficult for me to find a common ground with my high school
chemistry teacher. We couldn't agree on what was appropriate attire or hair length for
a sophomore. He had no respect for the notion that surfing is a viable career goal. He
smoked way too much. But it was either in spite of him or because of him that I
learned the mathematics involved in calculating the concentration of solutions, and I
eventually agreed with him on the importance of numbers in the biological and
chemical sciences. By the time I got out of that class, I was feeling as though I could
have converted the speed of light into picomoles. As I undertook a career in
molecular biology and teaching, it was what I learned in that class, more than in any
other, that I have used on almost a daily basis