Zack Valdez grew up in Dallas, TX and received Bachelor’s degrees in Engineering and Physics as a Div. II athlete (soccer), before earning a Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry. During this time, he conducted research on Liquid Nitrogen-powered Vehicles, modeling long-range transport of Mercury aerosols, and carbon cycling in biofuel agriculture. He has presented at conferences from Taiwan to Iceland. Zack has a rich experience in educational outreach to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM. He worked with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers to build k-12 and career services programming.