During his time at Mundelein High School, Chris Wetteland may not have imagined himself teaching the science class. But 28 years removed from his graduation, that’s exactly what Dr. Wetteland did.

The former student was in town during Homecoming Weekend to accept an award as one of seven Distinguished Alumni. On Friday, he made a stop in the high school, visited with MHS Science Department Chair David Greenwood, and led a portion of Jackie Hogan’s Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry class.

Wetteland, currently on the staff of Los Alamos National Laboratory, and formerly a senior lecturer at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, emphasized how fortunate the MHS students and staff are to have such updated and sophisticated equipment.

He spent part of his time demonstrating the use of the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) which allows for the viewing of light waves. The microscope produces images of a sample by scanning the surface with a focused beam of electrons. The electrons interact with atoms in the sample, producing various signals that contain information about the surface topography and composition of the sample.

 Wetteland demonstrated various uses of the equipment and involved the students in his presentation. He praised the MHS Science Department for having “tremendous opportunities” for students to study various forms of science.

After graduating MHS in 1993, Wetteland earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Northeastern University, a Masters of Science degree in Ceramics and Materials Engineering from Rutgers University and a PhD in Geology from the University of Tennessee