天美影视传媒

It鈥檚 not unusual for students to ask why he鈥檚 so dressed up for class, but his answer often takes them by surprise.

Goldman, a teaching professor of chemistry at the 天美影视传媒, often goes directly from work to meetings for his other position: for Lake Forest Park, a suburb of Seattle. He鈥檚 been a council member since 2022 and is currently serving his second term, which runs through 2029.

Science came naturally to Goldman. He decided to major in chemistry during an Advanced Placement class in high school and chose to teach as a postdoctoral scholar, but his venture into civics was 鈥渕ore serendipitous.鈥� When a friend on the council first approached him with the idea in April 2021, Goldman all but scoffed.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 not my personality,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not the most gregarious person. I tend to be much more analytical, so I wouldn鈥檛 have envisioned myself being a politician. I also think there is a stereotype that you have to have studied political science or you have to be a lawyer to be in politics. I鈥檓 a chemistry teacher.鈥�

But Goldman鈥檚 friend insisted he only needed to be passionate about the community to be an effective council member. A month later, he decided to run. In order to run for office in Lake Forest Park, a person must only be a registered voter of the city and have lived there at least one year.

鈥淚 think my friend was completely correct in that each council member brings a different scope,鈥� Goldman said. 鈥淚 really took that to heart. Some people are more experienced in land use while others know construction design or finances or can analyze data.鈥�

Lake Forest Park covers an area of 3.4 miles in King County. The city has an estimated population of 13,630 as of the 2020 Census. More than 18% of the population is aged 65 and over, while 21% of the population is 21 and under.

Goldman’s focus is on environmental issues and public transit. Lake Forest Park tends to be car-centric, Goldman said, so his goal is to make it easier for people to bike or walk to transit.聽 He doesn鈥檛 own a car, so he commutes to work at the UW by bus.聽

鈥淭here is no reason to be pigeonholed,鈥� Goldman said. 鈥淭here is no reason for people to think, 鈥極h, I鈥檓 in science and you鈥檙e in politics and those two things are totally separate.鈥� Scientific literacy is critical for the general population.鈥�

Goldman has also found overlap in the skills he uses for his two roles. While professors teach individually, they collaborate on topics like course ideas, textbooks and changing the curriculum.

鈥淎 lot of the decisions in the chemistry department are made through mutual consensus,鈥� Goldman said. 鈥淚 bring that mindset to the city council. There will be some disagreements, but it鈥檚 the same process of: Where does everyone start from? What are we already in agreement on? What do we need to reach an agreement?鈥�

Sitting on the council has also given Goldman a more complete understanding of what it takes to manage a budget, which has helped him grasp the operational and capital expenses in the chemistry department and the College of Arts & Sciences.

By sharing about his path with students, Goldman hopes to illuminate career options outside the traditional chemistry track. Many graduates remain in academia or pursue pre-med or similar paths, but there is a lot of middle ground, Goldman said. Students could consider going into law or using their chemistry knowledge to become a professional consultant.

鈥淭here are a lot of alternative approaches,鈥� Goldman said. 鈥淎nd having politicians who are knowledgeable about science will make any science-related legislation that much more effective. I want to encourage people not to separate science from politics.鈥�

As for Goldman, his political ambitions end here. You won鈥檛 see him campaigning for any county or state posts.

鈥淵ou wouldn’t be the first person to ask,鈥� Goldman said. 鈥淗onestly, it took a bit of arm-twisting to get me to run in the first place. This is not a stepping stone. I’m happy in my own little quiet neck of the woods.鈥�

For more information, contact Goldman at goldmanl@uw.edu.