John R. Sowa, Ph.D. is Professor of Chemistry at Governors State University (GSU) in University Park, Illinois. His B.S. in Chemistry is from Manhattan College (1985) and Ph.D. is from Iowa State University in (1991). His first academic appointment was at Seton Hall University (1994 – 2014). In 2015, he joined Governors State University where he initially served as chair of chemistry and biology (2015 – 2017). In 2017, he became a full-time faculty member and teaches courses in organic chemistry, spectroscopy, and general-organic-biochemistry for students in the applied health sciences. Prof. Sowa’s research topics are organic chemistry, environmental testing of heavy metals, and polyol induced extractions. He has 35 peer-reviewed publications and 5 US patents. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society and the Chicago Catalysis Club. His personal hobbies are swimming, film photography, bird watching. He is also a member of the Melody Mart Adult Jam Band where he plays guitar, tambourine, and cowbell. John lives in Flossmoor.