1. Can you tell us your home department and how long have you been a faculty member at APU?

I am in the Department of Biology and Chemistry and have been here for 1 crazy year now.

2. What are the classes you teach?

I will be teaching General Chemistry I and lab as well as Physical Chemistry I and II along with their labs. There is a possibility that I will be teaching another exciting course in the Spring, but I'll wait until it's official before I mention the details.

3. What is your area of research/teaching and how did you get interested in this area?

My research/teaching area can be described in two different ways. My chemistry content specialty (where I teach, not research) is Physical Chemistry. I fell in love with chemistry during sophomore year of high school. During AP Chem my junior year, my teacher encouraged me to pursue a career in teaching chemistry. She said that I had a passion and a way of recognizing what my peers needed to hear to understand the content when we were engaging in group work. In college, I found the math of physical chemistry absolutely beautiful, and the physical chemist at the university was really engaging. I didn't actually have him for my p chem class (he was on sabbatical), but we met outside of the classroom and just enjoyed chatting together about all things science (specifically chemistry and physics).

As for my area of research, I study chemical education and am eager to build my career on studying the influence of storytelling, media, and history on students' learning and engagement in chemistry (and STEM in general). My graduate work was in student experiences (motivation) in a flipped-learning gen chem II course, which helped me to develop the research skills I need to study storytelling. I actually became interested in this during the summer after my first year of graduate school when I went to a conference and heard several speakers discussing how they've used different sources of media in their chemistry courses. I was fascinated and have kept in contact with them since, in hopes of collaborating one day.

I am looking forward to incorporating graphic novels, allegories, plays, etc. into my upper level courses and eventually some lower level courses. I intend to investigate how these help to provide a narrative on which students can hang the content, making it more accessible. Jesus used stories (parables) to do his teaching and this is another opportunity for me to follow His lead.

4. When and how did you get interested in studying Chemistry?

I kind of answered this in the previous question, but I'll elaborate a little more. I began my deep dive into science when I was in the first grade. My discipline of choice: astronomy (or as I call it, "the gateway science"). I was fascinated with stars, black holes, cosmological origins (getting a bit philosophical here), etc. While I certainly didn't understand a significant chunk of it throughout elementary school, I was still fascinated by it. I remember the book Our Solar System by Seymour Simon being a regular text that I checked out from the library. As time went on, I discovered astroparticle physics, which eventually led me to an interest in chemistry.

5. What are some of the things you most enjoy being at APU?

In my short time here, I would have to say that I have most enjoyed the deep conversations that I have had with students and other faculty. These have ranged from philosophy of science and epistemologies of science faculty to what it means to be a Christian (and a Christian scientist) during the time of COVID. I LOVE deep conversations. I always learn something new!

6. What are some fun things you like to do?

I am still trying to figure that out post-graduate school. Honestly, when I think about the times that I am having the most fun, they involve spending time with others in great conversation and meals (a strange thing for an introvert to say)! I am fascinated by people and the way others see the world. There is such a diversity of experience that individuals bring to conversation and I love learning from them. Oh yeah,.... I have developed an interest in board games, too. Chess, mahjong (Jewish or Cantonese), 7 Wonders, Pandemic, etc. I guess great conversation occurs around board games, too!

7. Anything else you would like the STEM community to know about you?

I'm super excited to meet students, IN PERSON, this semester. If anyone is interested in science education or doing research on storytelling in science, please come talk to me!!!!