Dr. Leonard Willem ter Haar, a Professor of Chemistry, has been involved in many aspects of UWF’s growth. Since he joined UWF in 2000, ter Haar not only taught classes but also served for six years as director of the School of Science and Engineering, which he helped found. He led the Department of Computer Science for seven years and was an Administrative Fellow at the Office of the Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, from 2003-2005. Ter Haar oversaw design, planning and construction of the 100,000-square-foot, $32 million Science and Engineering Building. He also has raised more than $800,000 in private and corporate donations for endowments, scholarships, laboratory equipment and other UWF causes. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry (Inorganic/Physical) at the University of North Carolina after graduating with a B.A. in Chemistry from UWF. His research interests include the design of advanced materials, supramolecular approaches to nanocomposites, biomaterials for use in energy storage, and related subjects. His classes focus on applications of general, physical, solid state and chemical engineering. “Mentoring and highly individualized instruction – apprenticeship – describes my philosophy towards producing a research-rich learning environment that goes beyond courses and grades, and grounds learning in real-world, collaborative problem-solving,” he said. His research on scientific matters and pedagogy has been published in Laboratory Design, Journal of Applied Physics, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, and other peer-reviewed journals. Ph.D. Chemistry/Inorganic&Physical, University of North Carolina B.A. Chemistry, University of West Florida

Research & Development at NASA. Molecular Metals and Magnets. Batteries, Fuel cells and Solar cells. STEM Education & Outreach.

His research on scientific matters and pedagogy has been published in Laboratory Design, Journal of Applied Physics, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, and other peer-reviewed journals.