Doc Fizzix—Alden J. Balmer—is an award-winning physics teacher from McNeil High School in Round Rock Independent School District and the 1996 Texas Science Teacher of the Year. Doc Fizzix has appeared on several nationally aired television programs and has been featured in many magaines including: "The Science Teacher," "Boys' Life," "Web Page Design," "Physics Today," and more.

While teaching, Balmer observed students had little experience working with their hands or building things. In 1990, in lieu of the traditional semester exam, Balmer had students build a mousetrap-powered racer, believing it was a great way for students to demonstrate their understanding of physics and build something on their own.

Doc Fizzix has spent a lot of time traveling around the country sharing his teaching methods and activities with other science teachers. As Doc Fizzix traveled, he shared his mousetrap-racer activity with more and more groups of teachers and before long, he had people asking him for a book on the subject. He wrote "Mouse Trap Racers: The Secrets to Success" in 1995. Doc Fizzix Products opened the same year in Round Rock, Texas. His products are also available at his Website, www.docfizzix.com.