Valentin Torres
Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
About
Valentin teaches Advance Placement (AP) Biology and Biotechnology courses at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School. His alma maters are Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago State University and American College of Education where he has earned multiple degrees, such as in the field of Biology, Psychology, and Master of Education in Educational Leadership (Type 75 degree). Valentin was accepted to a highly selective Chicago Teaching Fellows alternative certification program, and became a teacher after practicing as a Clinical Psychologist at Cook County Hospital where he interned treating chronic-pain patients.
Valentin adores science, but his fervor is teaching young adults to help them find their passion in life. He understands that the quality of the teacher determines the quality of student education. Therefore, he believes in constantly improving his pedagogy. To do so, he has attended various pedagogical enhancement courses throughout his teaching career at various universities such as Northwestern University, Loyola University, Illinois Institute of Technology, and University of Illinois at Chicago through Chicago Teacher Transformation Initiative (CTTI) program.
For the past 5 years, he has participated in the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) programs and the NASA research program with Northwestern University and University of Chicago. For the past 4 years, he has participated in various research projects in cooperation with University of Illinois at Chicago Bioengineering department through a highly selective teacher research program called Chicago Science Teacher Research (CSTR).
One area of his focus is investigating aquaporin-4 produced by astrocytes and cerebrovasculature. Another focus is the development on computational model of functional hyperemia based on astrocytic and neuronal connection. His last research was on 3D modeling of functional hyperemia and 3D brain imaging.
Valentin Torres’s Curriculum:
Cutting Edge Biotechnology: Multifunctional Bone Nano-Implant Project
In this unit, students will explore nanotechnology and its impact on humanity. Students will specifically learn how to use a 123D Design APP and use a 3D printer. They will brainstorm and design 3D printed surfaces with varying roughness and nanotube diameter lengths. Students will develop a standardized method to establish the varying levels of surface roughness and nanotube diameter lengths.