DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

I teach across the general and organic chemistry sequences and my goal as an educator is to provide a positive learning environment where students are supported in the practice of applying their chemistry knowledge and communicate ideas to others through scientific explanations and concepts. I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania and earned a B.S. and M.S. in Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University. Following this, I had the opportunity to teach chemistry courses at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar for two years before pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Iowa.

My research lies in the field of Chemistry Education, which utilizes chemistry content expertise to improve the teaching and learning of chemistry. Using qualitative research methods and guiding theoretical frameworks, my work investigates the ways students reason about chemical concepts in general and organic chemistry. From this research, using an iterative user-centered design process, I develop a range of instructional materials that help support student learning. The ultimate goal of this work is to make chemistry a more approachable subject for a wider range of learners at the college level. Outside of general and organic chemistry, I teach a first-year seminar course focused on the chemistry and psychology of color and a darkroom photography course through the Norris center.