Before starting Science Camps of America, Michael Richards was the founder and president of HI-Tech Smart Systems, Inc., a software company based in Hawaiʻi that provided specialty property management software to thousands of companies in over 20 countries from 1983 until its sale in 2010.
Michael started Science Camps of America with the goal of providing a great opportunity for teenagers to get out and ‘do’ science. “I was inspired to start Science Camps of America in what was truly a “walking in the woods” moment. I was hiking with my grandchildren and realized that sharing my love of nature and science with them was just the best thing ever. And if I loved sharing it with them, and they loved learning it, then why not do the same for more young people?”
Michael recently earned a Certificate in Disaster Planning and Emergency Management from the University of Hawai'i and is a volunteer member of the Hawaiʻi Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT)..
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Michael Richards studying lava up close
Professor Floyd W. McCoy grew up on sugar plantations in Hawaiʻi, in the midst of erupting volcanoes and tsunamis. As a native of Hawaiʻi, he has studied volcanism there in relationship to the construction of a Hawaiian island, as well as to contemporary issues of living with natural disasters.
As one example, his home town of Hilo was destroyed twice by tsunami; as a child he outran another tsunami. He studied under Hawaiʻi's foremost volcanologist earning both BS and MS degrees from the University of Hawaiʻi. This interest was taken to the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas in studying the huge mega-eruption of Santorini in the Late Bronze Age, earning him his doctorate at Harvard. Research continues on this catastrophic event and its consequences - regional ash falls, tsunami, climate change, earthquakes - on Mediterranean cultures and particularly on the demise of the Minoan civilization.
These studies define a new field of research - geoarchaeology - with investigations in the field at archaeological sites or by computer modeling of the effects of such catastrophes on ancient cultures. Dr. McCoy recently retired as Professor in Geology and Oceanography at the University of Hawaiʻi's Windward campus, and has been visiting professor at the Universita di Milano, and at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens; in 2007-2008 he was a senior Fulbright Scholar to Greece.
Professor McCoy explaining Hawaiian island creation
Sheri Richards co-founded Science Camps of America as Director for Health and Safety. Sheri has more than 20 years of experience as an Emergency Room nurse, and has served at various ER posts including Emergency Department Manager, Charge Nurse, Emergency Preparedness Readiness Instructor, Code Blue Team member, Disaster Management Subcommittee member, and Rapid Response Team member.
Sheri is currently the Director of Nursing for King Lunalilo Home.Sheri is a graduate of Hawaiʻi Pacific University and holds a Masters Degree in Geriatric Nursing from Walden University as well as certifications in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advance Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advance Life Support (PALS), Crisis Prevention Management Response (CPMR), Medical Preparedness and Response to Bombing Incidents, and Advance Burn Life Support (ABLS). In addition, Sheri is a member of the Hawaiʻi Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) and has worked on disaster response initiatives for APEC, RIMPAC and other exercises.
Sheri has brought her vast emergency response experience to the setup of the camp's health supplies, documentation standards, and health and emergency procedure policies and will also be training and supervising staff in all health-related matters.
After receiving a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida International University and a Masters in Material Science and Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Denisse went to work at the NASA Langley Research Center, utilizing her expertise in material science to contribute to projects designed to control contamination and improve the efficicency of objects in space. Denisse also served as Integration and Test Lead for the RaD-X flight project, which provides data that improves safety for the general public, commercial flight crews, and others working in the high atmosphere and in outer space. Denisse is currently the Senior Contamination Control Engineer for Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. Denisse joined the Science Camps of America Board of Directors in 2019.
Denisse on NASA, women in engineering, and Denisse!
(Interview on Broadly, 2015)
Anna Downey earned her Bachelorʻs of Science degree in Education and Earth Science from the State University of New York at Oneonta and her Masters of Science degree in Geology from Kansas State University. Since graduation, Anna has taught middle school science in New York City and is currently at the prestigious Convent of the Sacred Heart academy. Anna has been an instructor and counselor for Science Camps of America's overnight science camps since 2016. Anna joined the Science Camps of America Board of Directors in 2023.
Michael Walker received his Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology and his PhD in Geology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Kansas. Michael is a teacher of high school science at The Village School in Houston, Texas, and also coaches the school's cross-country team. Michael has been an instructor and counselor for Science Camps of America's overnight science camps since 2021 and joined the Science Camps of America Board of Directors in 2023.
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
Carl Sagan
