Chemistry major

Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Iowa

Highlight quote

"My Hendrix experience emphasized the importance of getting students engaged in undergraduate research. This became a key feature of my teaching and my efforts to attract and support undergraduate research students."

Current projects

Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Iowa

Undergraduate Research

I participated in two different summer research programs during my sophomore and junior years. I worked at the University of Arizona on inorganic synthesis and x-ray crystallography. The second summer, I worked at the University of Oklahoma on a project involving solid state synthesis and spectroscopy of ionic compounds. Both summer projects resulted in my being a co-author on publications in scientific journals. I also had an undergraduate research project at Hendrix with Dr. Warfield Teague to develop methodologies and instructional protocols for the new GC/MS instrument. This expanded into an air quality project to analyze the air in several buildings across campus. I was also able to attend two national American Chemical Society meetings to present my research results.

How Hendrix prepared me for success

My Hendrix experience emphasized the importance of getting students engaged in undergraduate research. This became a key feature of my teaching and my efforts to attract and support undergraduate research students. My grant funding has included stipends for undergraduate researchers, and I made it a point to take my students to national ACS meetings. This was an important aspect of my professional development, and I wanted my students to have those same opportunities.

Future plans

My research interests concentrate on issues related to how students learn chemistry and how that guides the design of instructional materials and teaching strategies. The focus of my research is on the impact of novel teaching strategies on student learning and attitudes. This work has also led to an interest in investigating the disconnect between faculty desire to engage students in learning chemistry and the adoption of research-based teaching strategies and curricula.

My advice

My advice is to take advantage of opportunities to engage in research, network with experts in their field, and push themselves in their studies.