From Chemistry to Creativity: UWF Alumna Nancy Schrock Bridges STEM and the Humanities

June 30, 2026 | By River Fundock, Student Intern, Department of Communication | Edited by Karen Tibbals, CASSH Communications Coordinator

For many students, choosing a career can feel like choosing between two worlds: STEM or the humanities. Nancy Schrock's career demonstrates that the two are not mutually exclusive.

A University of West Florida alumna and adjunct instructor in both the Department of Chemistry and Department of English, Schrock has built a career that spans science, writing, teaching, and art. Throughout her professional life, she has moved between disciplines often viewed as opposites, finding that each has enriched the other.

After spending more than three decades in chemistry and corporate research, Schrock enrolled in UWF's Master of Arts in English program and graduated in 2012 with a concentration in creative writing. Prior to returning to higher education, she held leadership roles in corporate research and intellectual capital management, then decided to pursue teaching and writing.

The experience opened a new chapter in her life.

I entered the world of the humanities after spending more than thirty years in chemistry. I soon discovered that I had entered a different culture. - Nancy Schrock, UWF Adjunct Instructor

After earning her degree and spending a year in the Pacific Northwest, Schrock and her husband, a fellow UWF chemistry alumnus, returned to Pensacola and teaching. She joined UWF as an adjunct instructor in 2013, teaching chemistry courses, Organic Chemistry, and Writing for STEM before transitioning to online instruction following her move to New Mexico in 2019.

Schrock's background gives her a unique perspective on the relationship between STEM and the humanities. Schrock noted that in the sciences, information is often communicated through graphs, charts, and data. Creative writing, on the other hand, requires authors to create images, emotions, and experiences through words alone. One lesson she carried from science into writing was the importance of clarity. "In the sciences, clear writing is critical," Schrock said. "I try to avoid long, convoluted sentences and words that most people would have to look up in a dictionary."

Her interdisciplinary experience also shaped her teaching. In addition to chemistry courses, she taught Writing for STEM, helping students learn to communicate complex scientific ideas clearly and effectively. Teaching has influenced her creative work as well. Working with students from diverse backgrounds has made her more aware of how differently people interpret language and experiences. As a result, she actively seeks feedback from a wide range of readers before publishing her work.

Today, Schrock teaches chemistry online from her home in New Mexico while pursuing creative interests that include writing and visual art. She is a member of The Gallery ABQ, a cooperative fine art gallery in Albuquerque, where she specializes in colored pencil and pastel works and produces the gallery's monthly newsletter. She and her husband live just north of Albuquerque. Although she enjoys New Mexico's high-desert landscape and the scent of juniper and sagebrush after a rare rain, she admits that teaching and writing currently occupy most of her creative energy.

While earning her master's degree, Schrock began pursuing creative writing more seriously. Since graduating from UWF, she has published fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry while continuing to teach chemistry. Her latest novel, Morning of a Crescent Moon (2026), explores the 1898 Battle of Virden, a labor conflict in her hometown of Virden, Illinois. Inspired by family history, archival research, and her own experiences in corporate America, the novel examines themes of labor, economic inequality, and workers' rights that remain relevant today. "What I hope readers take away from Morning of a Crescent Moon is that the tensions inherent in our capitalist system between the owners of capital and the workers employed by them are ongoing today," Schrock said. 

Her first novel, Incense Rising, imagined a dystopian future in which consumerism dominates society and political systems make both people and information disappear. In addition to her novels, Schrock has published short fiction, creative nonfiction, and essays. Her work has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, the anthology Beyond Boundaries, and Cultures of Copyright. She has also written devotionals and stories for Guidepost Publications. She is currently researching a novel set in Virden during World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic. As a former research chemist, she enjoys research. "Preparing for my next novel is actually a lot of fun," she said.

Schrock encourages students not to think of STEM and the humanities as competing interests. Some careers naturally combine both fields, including science writing, technical communication, and educational publishing. More importantly, she advises students to identify what they enjoy, seek guidance from mentors, and remain open to unexpected opportunities. "If students can identify what they like to do, professors and advisors can help them navigate this time in their lives," she said.

Her own journey, from chemist and corporate leader to educator, novelist, and artist, demonstrates that meaningful careers do not always fit neatly into a single category.

For me, teaching is a way of giving back and contributing to the next generation. I can make a difference in students' lives, even though I may never know what influence I had. - Nancy Schrock

Today, Schrock continues to teach chemistry while pursuing writing and art, combining the scientific curiosity that shaped her first career with the creativity that inspired her second. Her unique journey reflects the breadth of professional experiences CASSH faculty bring to the classroom, where students benefit from learning alongside educators whose careers extend well beyond traditional academic paths.

For more information about how you can build a career in the humanities, please visit The UWF College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CASSH).