Ron and Amy then left Chicago to attend graduate school at Oklahoma State University where he received a Masters and PhD in Zoology. During the years at Oklahoma State University, Ron taught and managed many student lab courses, and gained a great deal of knowledge in his field of zoology. In 2008, Ron and Amy accepted faculty positions in their respective fields at the University of Texas at El Paso. While at UTEP, Ron found his passion of teaching courses in science methods to future elementary and middle school teachers using insects and other arthropods. Ron established an extensive Living Arthropod Lab at UTEP which supported his research in arthropods, ecology, and science education. In 2017 he authored the book Adventures With Arthropods: Eco-Friendly Lessons for Middle School to help teachers feel comfortable getting up close and personal with the animals he knew and loved.

Ron fell in love with the IECC after his first trip and would become a regular at the conference, returning to the desert most summers to spend time with 'his people' at the conference. He was a frequent presenter and worked hard to promote invetebrate education, putting the E in IECC. This scholarship was created to bring like minded teachers to the IECC and share with them the amazing world of invetebrates and science education that Ron loved.