Current Activities

My research interests are related to synthetic organic chemistry and its application towards biological systems. In the past, I studied the synthesis of immunologically relevant oligosaccharides. Now, I am currently interested in delivering high-level chemistry experiences to large numbers of students.

My activities include teaching (general and organic chemistry), coordinating the laboratory courses for the general and organic chemistry programs, and building new content and tools in the service of chemical education. In the First Year Program, that includes the General Chemistry for Engineering Students Laboratory (CHEM 117) and the lab components of the Fundamentals of Chemistry I (CHEM 119) and Fundamentals of Chemistry II (CHEM 120). In the organic chemistry program, that includes Elementary Organic Chemistry Laboratory (CHEM 242), Organic Chemistry I Laboratory (CHEM 237), and Organic Chemistry II Laboratory (CHEM 238). Across all of the lab courses, we are interested in delivering an innovative and fully-featured laboratory experience that complements and expands upon the co-requisite courses and prepares our students in their pursuit of STEM degrees.

Laboratory courses are native active-learning courses. We want to lean into the novel experience of operating in a laboratory and analyzing the outcomes and data that is collected. Across all aspects we are looking to find solutions that match up with current paradigms and will prepare students for their future laboratory experiences in their undergraduate career and beyond. Among the current paradigms is collaborative activities; we want to prepare students to work in collaborative environments that will incubate interest and lead to new ideas that will be at the forefront of their STEM fields. We are also utilizing platforms that deliver high-quality feedback and assistance to students throughout their lab experience.