More than you need to know about Ron

Educational Path

Bonnstetter received an AA degree from Ellsworth Community College and his B.S. in Biology and Earth Science (1973) from Mankato State University. He received his MS in Science Education and Environmental Engineering with a minor in Geology (1976) from the University of Iowa and also his Ph.D. (1984) in Science Education and Environmental Engineering with a minor in Aquatic Ecology. He was mentored for both his graduate degrees by Professor John Penick, known for his progressive insights into science teacher education and with whom he co-authored and presented worldwide through-out his academic career.

Ron started out as an 8th Grade Science teacher in Muscatine, Iowa. After finishing his Masters, Bonnstetter was recruited to start a new environmental technology two-year A.A. program for Iowa Lakes Community College in Esterville, Iowa (1976-1981). As program director, Bonnstetter also served as advisor for a science club, known as ECOLI, (Ecology Club of Lakeland Iowa). This club sponsored numerous ecology field trips for club members, such as aquatic ecology in St. John, Virgin Islands, Yellowstone cross country skiing in winter and NSF Chautaugua programing. While teaching at the community college, Bonnstetter spent his summers taking graduate courses at Lakeside Lab a State Funded Field Station for advanced research as well as attending several NSF funded programs at Fermi Lab in Illinois.

Ron was the first Iowan to be certified as a cross-country ski instructor. This grew into annual winter trips into Yellowstone for his college students, including being part of the first group to be allowed into the park in the winter.

During the 70's Ron gained spelunker certification from the Illinois club and then ran a monthly exploration trip to Cold Water Cave where his students were taught to preform underground surveying and explore their own personal boundaries of both physical and mental strength. As a result, this "outward bound experience" helped build self-confidence and also resulted in over 8 miles of new underground pathways being mapped.

Leaving the Community College behind

In 1981 Ron was offered an assistantship to return to the University of Iowa as a teaching assistant in their NSF funded preservice science teacher education program. This experience allowed for the development and deeper understanding of what was needed for an award winner teacher prep program. After completed his PhD, from the University of Iowa Ron move on to be Director of Secondary Education at the University of Nebraska.

Having seen the value of student focused clubs from his years directing E-COLI, Dr. Bonnstetter proceeded to create a new club for his secondary science students, (NERDS, Nebraska Educators Really Doing Science). In addition to regular meetings, the club ran teacher workshops and attended numerous State, regional and national conferences. And not just as attendees, but as presenters! (Picture preservice science teachers delivering workshops to veteran teachers in a national forum.)

While working on his PhD, Ron ran computer programs that took on average 25 minutes to perform each statistical calculation. (This personal computer was built for him by withdrawing both his and Nicolette's Iowa teacher's retirement funds and spending $8,000 to have two 8-inch floppy drives that held 64K each. His keyboard and printer used a single ball "Spinwriter" modified typewriter.) While the computer churned, Ron blew bubbles to entertain himself and to explore "thin film fluid dynamics". In the process, he learned how to make bubble chains and blow bubbles inside bubbles. This activity expanded and during a St Louis NSTA conference, Dr. Ron ran an auditorium presentation with his NERDS students that was, by chance, viewed by a California film company. Ron ended up signing a contract and created Bubbleology I, II, and III. During one of the filming, Ron was able to place 22 children inside a bubble. His 80 plus bubble activity videos were used for years by teachers and families world-wide.

While at Nebraska, Ron founded the Brain Team, a group of his graduate students who translated neurology findings into practice for educators and business leaders. Following the example established by his mentor, Dr. John Penick, Bonnstetter co-presented with his students to conventions and groups throughout the world.

Ron created a controllable launchpad that made pressurizing 2-liter soda bottles to make water rockets. It started with just a fun time with friends and then student, Jake Winemiller, to see what could be done with this new tool and ended up going viral. A film company created Water Rockets I & II for educational use and the project was picked up by NASA and then by National Science Olympiad. As a result, thousands of students have designed and flown water rockets each year since.

Ron the only recipient of the National Search for Excellence in Secondary Science Education

This award was given for the outstanding secondary science education preparation program in the nation. The award was made by Dr. Carl Sagan in Washington DC.

Moving from a student-centered focus back to full-time research

Ron retired as a full professor in 2011 and moved to Scottsdale AZ, as the Director of Research at Target Training International. During his years at UNL, Bonnstetter's interests deepened to include not only the neurology of learning and human behavior but an agenda to better understand the pathways of decision-making. Bonnstetter was a 2012 Edison Award nominee and provided the Keynote address for the opening of the 2012 World Council for Science Education in Bangkok, Thailand. In addition, TTI Success Insights (TTI SI) was awarded first place in the small business category during the 2015 Leadership 500 Excellence Awards Program, which salutes the world's top companies for outstanding achievement in leadership development practices.

Ron the Cognitive Neurology researcher and patent holder

In June of 2015 Bonnstetter was issued his first-of-two patent titled: Validation Process for Ipsative Assessments (Patent No. US 9,060,702), along with Bill Bonnstetter, Thomas F. Collura and Dustin Hebets. This research explores neurological decision-making pathways by examining gamma wave frontal lobe asymmetry using electroencephalography and S-LORETA imaging.

Ron started playing church bells while living in Lincoln NE and then when the local Lutheran church in Carefree showed interest in adding bells to their service, Nicolette and Ron financially contributed to the cause and then joined several bell choirs. (Ron has played for over 20 years.)

Ron has completed two frame-off restorations including a 1968 MGB and a rather rare 1951 RMB 2.5-liter Riley.

Ron the Native American Flute player

Ron bought a NAF in October of 2011 having never played a musical instrument. He first played the flute in public three months later to the 2,500 delegates during the World Council of Science Education in Bangkok Thailand. Since that first presentation, Ron has continued and regularly plays for art openings, local healing services and has performed live streamed presentations. Most recently, he has run a series of workshops on "Music as Medicine."

As of April of 2024, Ron completed his formal training to provide palliative care in hospitals and hospice settings, playing native American flute to patients.

Ron started by playing the didge and then started to make his own instruments from AZ agave stems. He now has half a dozen instruments and has recorded circular breathing didge music for up to 45 minutes, without a break in the sound.

Ron the Barista

Ron had never drank a cup of coffee until the summer of 2014 when Nicolette had a brain injury that required morning caffeine as a stimulant. He then decided to start designing images on the top of one of the cups each day. Since starting to make coffee designs, Ron has loaded over 3,000 designs to Instagram.

Ron took a Methodist Bible Scholar 12-month course and then taught the same course two more years. His life-long interest in world religions made this activity a joy for him and the 24 students he taught. (Even an atheist can teach religion.)

Ron started diving in 1964 and over the years he was a certified instructor for PADI, YMCA and NAUI and also held certifications in cave diving, ice diving and underwater welding. As a result of logging hundreds of hours underwater, he taught aquatic ecology in St. John in the Virgin Islands for science teachers in the summers.

Ron was appointed to this post and was available to travel to a country to solve science education issues as a representative of the Fulbright Organization.

Ron was part of the national speaker's bureau and has presented in all fifty States and in over 20 countries.

Ron the Sixty Second Science Host

Ron developed and starred in a weekly TV news program that aired across Nebraska four years during the Friday evenings news broadcast. The program included, science on parade and family science activities and interesting facts worth sharing.

Ron coined the phrase "Science of Self" while explaining to Dr. Sagan what he did that was different in his teacher preparation program. This later evolved into a series of short self-help videos, known as "Science of Self in 60".

Ron rebuilt a 14-foot X-Craft sailboat and sailed it for several years on Lake Okoboji, in Iowa. Ron sailed this 4-person craft in winds up to 40 MPH.

Ron was in a traveling choir during his first two years of college and served as the master of ceremony by introducing each song and accompanying soloists, sang in the Methodist church while in college, was a member of the Elks Men's traveling choir and even sang a solo for his sister in-law's wedding.

Ron was a visiting professor to Universities in Indonesia, in Cyprus, Venezuela, Japan, Nigeria and Brazil.

Ron has published hundreds of articles over his 40 year plus professional career. And as a result, has won several national and international awards for his research, including national recognition for The Outstanding Secondary Teacher Education Program and the Joe Kamiya First Person Science Award for his work with gamma asymmetry in the frontal cortex. In addition to his teaching and research accomplishments, Ron co-authored The Five Sciences of Self and received international recognition for his Memoir titled, Defined by Moments.

Ron attended an international pyrotechnic Guild annual conference in Fargo ND and as a result, designed several fireworks shows. One in particular ran 25 minutes, after the first fuse was lit and included over one hundred roman candles and climaxed with a rather "moving" experience, when a ¼ stick of dynamite exploded.

Ron made beer for many years, most of which was a wheat beer or German-style hefeweizen. He also made mead and attempted to make root beer, which blew up in the basement. (What a mess)

Ron served two terms as editor of Science Education International, the official journal of ICASE, International Council Association for Science Education.

The county in which he was teaching at the time, could not afford a full-time health inspector, so Ron held the title to run new construction percolation testing for septic systems and when needed to document potential health hazards. He taught his students to perform many of these duties under his supervision.

His science club (ECOLI = Ecology Club of Lakeland Iowa) won the show sculpture competition every year he was at the college. One year there was not enough snow for the festival so the city council asked the club to make one sculpture in the town square by having snow shipped by truck from Minnesota. The club made a huge buffalo that contained five telephone poles as internal supports.

For many years, Ron built and maintained the Flatwater British Car club website and was the first University student club to have their own web site. NERDS.unl.edu (Nebraska Educators Really Doing Science)

Flew many two-line kites and had a custom designed 50 square foot kite made that required 3000-pound test line rope because of the tremendous lift.

Performed in many church puppet programs and owns Bobby the puppet.