Rick Kappel

Instructor, Environmental Management

Richard Kappel is an Environmental Management Instructor at The Civil Engineer School, Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. His primary teaching and consulting expertise is on hazardous waste management, solid waste management, pollution prevention, and recycling.

Before entering public service, Mr. Kappel taught high school science for 15 years.  He taught Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.  Mr. Kappel wrote the curriculum and created the environmental science class.  He has also taught various classes through Bowling Green State University (Environmental Science 101 and Canadian Wilderness).

Before Mr. Kappel became a teacher he conducted Grey Bat research for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in Northwest Georgia.  He studied Grey Bat roosting and foraging activity through trapping and fitting bats with radio-telemetry devices and following them using trucks and helicopters.  This research was used to write his master’s thesis and various other papers associated with the research.

In college he worked for BGSU recycling.  Mr. Kappel started out collecting material from customers and eventually became the assistant coordinator. He was an active participant and leader with campus environmental organizations. 

EDUCATION

1998 MS in Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, OH

1998 State of Ohio Teaching Certificate, Grades 6-12, Biological Science; Physical Science

1996 BS in Environmental Science, Bowling Green State University, OH

CAREER CHRONOLOGY

1. August 1998-June 2000, High School Science Teacher, Elida High School, Elida, Ohio

2. August 2000-June 2001, High School Science Teacher, Northridge High School, Northridge, Ohio

3. August 2002–June 2015, High School Science Teacher, Kettering Fairmont High School, Kettering, Ohio

PUBLICATIONS

Grey Bat Conservation: The Good and the Bad, NSS News, March 1998

Habitat Utilization by the Endangered Grey Bat (Myotis grisescens), Southeastern Cave Concervancy, January, 1998

Education

Master of Science in Biology- Conservation Biology, Bowling Green State University

Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Bowling Green State University

Teaching Certificate for the State of Ohio, Physical and Biological Science, 7-12

Courses Taught

WENV 160 Qualified Recycling Program Management Course

WENV 521 Hazardous Waste Management Course

WESS 010 Hazardous Waste Accumulation Seminar

WMGT 100 Air Force Civil Engineer Basic Civilian Course

Areas of Interest & Consulting

Hazardous Waste Management

Solid Waste Management

Recycling

Pollution Prevention