cathy

"Science is always ultimately about people and life."
- Alan Leshner

My work is at the intersection of science, people, culture, and the real world issues that we as humans face on this planet. My current work includes:

Mobilizing STEM Education for a Sustainable Future, a project funded by the NSF, jointly with co-PIs Susan Millar, Jean MacGregor, and Elaine Seymour.

Chemistry in Context - A project of the American Chemical Society. Author 3rd-6th editions, Editor-in-Chief, 7th and 8th editions.

Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER). Senior Associate, 2000-present, 2003 SENCER Model Developer.

AWIS (Association for Women in Science), National Executive Board, Secretary (2007-2009), Councilor (1999-2000)

Chemistry Learning Center, director since 1989.

Real-world problems and engaging societal issues can and do draw students into the world of chemistry. In turn, these issues can draw chemists into the world of people. Fall semesters, in my general chemistry course for liberal arts students and non-chemistry majors (Chemistry 108.), I teach through real-world issues such as air quality and global climate change to the underlying scientific issues. I bring to this the same level of intellectual engagement and involvement with current topics that one would expect in a graduate seminar. Spring semesters, I teach a course in the Integrated Liberal Studies Program entitled "The Radium Girls and the Firecracker Boys". The graduate students who teach with me in either course have opportunities to explore both chemical content and innovative pedagogies that they may not have experienced in their prior training.

I also co-teach with Omie Baldwin a course entitled Environmental Chemistry and Ethnicity (Chemistry 201). This course is the first physical science course on campus to meet the system-wide Ethnic Studies Requirement. The topic we have selected is Uranium and American Indians. Students explore issues of radioactivity, uranium mining and lung cancer as well as the culture and history of the Navajo people. In Fall 2006, this course was offered as part of a Freshmen Interest Group, a campus learning community.

At present, much of my intellectual energy is devoted to the question of how what our students learn in chemistry can make a difference not only in their lives, but also in the health and well-being of all communities on our planet, both present and future. I am a Co-PI with others on a recently funded grant from the NSF that seeks to marshal our resources to move forward with this and other questions related to curriculum reform in STEM.