Student Evaluations
The student evaluations below show that students enjoy my teaching and learn a great deal, even with very difficult material.
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The original student evaluations can be seen here.
Colleague Recommendations
Here are colleague recommendations from both private industry and academia:
William Ducker, PhD
Sean German, PhD
Justin Lewis
William Wickun, PhD
Courses I’ve taught:
For science majors: Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry I & II, Biochemistry I & II, Spectroscopic Analysis, Physical Chemistry
For non-science majors: Algebra I & II, Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, Geology
This large variety of courses is related to my background. As an undergraduate I majored in physics & math/computer science, but I was in an interdepartmental biochemistry program in graduate school. My PhD is in Chemistry, but I really enjoy integrating all of the sciences into my teaching when possible… [more] [less]
Student Research
I’ve supervised dozens of univerity students in individual research projects, often several at a time, developing research goals, overseeing experimental design, laboratory set-up and execution, troubleshooting problems, analyzing data, and assisting in presentation of the results at seminars
Directing NSF Programs for Secondary Schools
For two summers I was Director of a National Science Foundation Young Scholar’s Program which brought 16-17 year olds into the university research labs of biology and chemistry professors. I also brought students into my research lab, and as Director traveled to Washington D.C. for on-site training in managing the project budget.
I hosted a separate NSF Summer Workshop to train Secondary School teachers in the use of NMR Spectroscopy. I recruited Education faculty and their masters degree students to be part of the workshop as well as a follow-up event where teachers brought their students on a field trip to do spectroscopic analysis. The workshop’s activity report is available (7 MB).
Expertise in Web-Based Instruction
Check out my free online Organic Chemistry course: a full-year university course with lectures, study questions, problem sets, exams, hints, answer keys, and laboratories.
The key to web-based instructional materials is quality content, but I also strive for attractive presentation. Please contact me with feedback.
Philosophy of education
My educational philosophy emphasizes communication. Students who learn to communicate what they've been taught tend to grasp underlying principles and have greater clarity about the limits of their knowledge. This is especially true when they are trained to communicate in multiple ways: in written, oral, and graphical formats. This is why I often ask students to explain back to me, step-by-step, how the principles we've been learning apply to particular well-chosen examples.…[more][less]
It really is true that a picture tells a thousand words. That’s what has motivated me to attain expertise with a variety of graphics, video editing, and web-development software. What might otherwise seem intimidating material can often be clarified by carefully crafted custom illustrations.
