Meet Our Faculty
Student-focused, supportive and skilled in different specialties
COCC faculty in Chemistry have strong backgrounds in higher education and real-world career experience in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. They offer students exceptional instruction and valuable advising.
Faculty Profiles
Forrest Towne
Professor of Chemistry, Chair of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Email: ftowne@cocc.edu
From studies of dopamine responses in the brain to exploring new learning methods in science, Forrest has shaped a diverse career in chemistry. Supporting the path of future scientists is his most cherished role. “I love working with students and helping them achieve their goals and dreams,” he says, having joined COCC’s faculty in 2012.
Prior to COCC, Forrest taught chemistry at Montana State University and the University of Montana. As an undergraduate, he worked for a subsidiary of Bend Research, synthesizing organic specialty chemicals for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and material science industries. Forrest earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from George Fox University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Montana.
He has served as COCC’s faculty representative to bring a STEM scholarship program through the University of Oregon to several community colleges across the state. Called the Oregon Pathways to Industrial Research Careers, the program supports students earning a degree in biochemistry, chemistry or physics, with embedded paid internships, connecting them to careers in semiconductors, sensors and genomics.
Stephanie Christau
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Email: schristau@cocc.edu
Originally from Germany, Steph moved to the U.S. in 2015 after completing her Ph.D. in polymer chemistry at the Berlin Institute of Technology. She then spent four years as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan, contributing to studies of nanoparticle-immune cell interactions for cancer immunotherapy. Afterwards, she spent one year at the University of Maine's Advanced Structures & Composite Center, where she worked on a project aimed at improving the properties of biodegradable plastics.
"While I enjoyed doing research, the part I have always enjoyed the most is mentoring
students and helping them succeed in their endeavors," she says. "So I decided to
go all in on teaching and have never looked back." Before coming to COCC in 2024,
Stephanie taught chemistry at Williams College in Massachusetts as a visiting professor.
"I love teaching chemistry because it connects all the different science disciplines,
which also means I get to interact with students with many different backgrounds,"
she shares.
Carol Higginbotham
Professor of Chemistry
Email: chigginbotham@cocc.edu
Having taught chemistry in higher ed since 1996— most of those years at COCC — Carol knows how to bring concepts and fundamentals into comprehension. And how to make it matter.
"My goal as an educator is to get students excited and motivated to learn chemistry, and understand its relevance to their lives," she says. "I especially enjoy connecting chemical phenomena to theory in the laboratory."
Trained in biochemistry, Carol has contributed to research in a variety of contexts, from environmental analytical work (atmospheric chemistry) to education. "I grew up in a small town, my life trajectory was shifted by my college experience, so I believe in the power of education to change lives." Her own education includes a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Montana State University and a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Central College in Iowa.
At COCC, she has taught a wide variety of courses, most recently focused on Introduction to Chemistry, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Climate Change.