Steve Mock joined the faculty at the University of Montana Western in 1991 and has taught chemistry ever since. In 1977, he received a B.S. in Biology at Manchester College (now Manchester University) in N. Manchester, IN, where he grew up. He completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Montana State University in 1989. Between those degrees, he taught high school science for five years.
In Mock’s chemistry classes, students engage in extensive small-group, problem-solving opportunities and frequent lab exercises focusing on chemistry in the context of geology, biology and health sciences.He has taught various rock climbing courses at Montana Western as well as winter camping and travel. In addition, he served as the Director of the Experience One pilot project and as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Western.
Mock is a Co- Director of the Khumbu Climbing Center (KCC) in Phortse, Nepal, a program funded by the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation (ALCF, on whose board of directors he also serves). The Khumbu Climbing Center teaches climbing, safety, and guiding skills to young Nepalese who currently work or aspire to work on Mt. Everest and the other high peaks of the Himalayas.
Mock uses block 5 each winter to travel to the Khumbu Valley of Nepal to direct and teach at KCC. Mock has twice been a Denali Climbing and Rescue Volunteer (2014 and 2016), each time spending a month on Denali assisting the professional rangers with routine duties as well as rescues, when necessary.
