Satia Schwarz began her employment at ORU in 2018, when she was hired to teach General Chemistry Laboratory because of her unique background in both laboratory research and science education. She recently accepted a promotion to Lecturer of Physical Science, where she continues to draw on her laboratory and education experience. Another facet of Satia’s work is leading ORU’s Elsing Museum of Rocks and Minerals.
As early as high school, the Lord began leading Satia into a science-related career, beginning with her first job at North Dakota State University in plant genetics. She was hand-picked for the position by her high school Biology teacher, and the experience led to a bachelor’s degree in biomedical chemistry from ORU, then employment at Dowell Schlumberger Research and Development Laboratory in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her seven years at Schlumberger centered on producing and testing oil-well stimulation products, including fracture conductivity chemistry before “fracking” was a controversial activity.
Satia’s switch from industry to educational science happened a few years after moving to the mission field of Prague, Czech Republic. There she became involved in planting an English-speaking K-12 Christian school. As the school’s first science teacher, she had the honor of establishing the science department, which in school-planting terms meant hauling numerous science supplies over the Atlantic Ocean. The school is flourishing to this day, boasting 150 students from 20 nationalities. It remains a strong Christian witness in an agnostic society, and a place where students regularly hear the gospel.
Satia brings a love of science, an international perspective, and a push towards hands-on learning to her classrooms, not to mention a passion for missions and God’s word. She recently completed a Master of Science in chemistry from Ohio University, and she is certified in the state of Oklahoma as a K6-12 science and chemistry teacher. She is a graduate of Victory World Missions Training Center and travels regularly to the mission field of Eastern Europe.