Paul Hotchkin grew up in various parts of the Midwestern United States. From an early age Paul became fascinated with the natural world, especially reptiles. Paul's desire to learn more about reptiles led him to major in biology at Piedmont College in Demorest Georgia, and then to study lizard escape behavior for his Masters degree at UTEP. While doing his Masters research, Paul became interested in Chihuahuan desert plants. For his Doctoral degree at UTEP, Paul is investigating the plant community ecology of the Franklin Mountains in El Paso, Texas. Teaching and scientific research are activities that Paul is very passionate about, and he plans a career where he can teach and research at the collegiate level. Paul is returning to the GK-12 program for a second year after a successful year of teaching 6th grade science at Bassett Middle School in El Paso during the 2006-07 academic year.