The P.I. is interested in a Vygotskian-based social cognitive learning approach and believes that teaching consists of introducing the students to new information by means of systematic logic. Curiosity and critical thinking should be fostered from the earliest possible ages and emphasized throughout the school years, and scientific reasoning should become a way of life.
Courses
CHM 1000 – Chemistry and Your World (Syllabus)
Description: Facts and theories from analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, and from biochemistry; their consequences in life processes and the environment.
CHM 3000 – Metals in Biology Chemistry (Syllabus)
Description: This course challenges the way students think about chemistry, biology, and medicine. We survey inorganic chemistry and biochemistry, evolve to the ways metals influence living organisms and to efforts on diagnosis and therapy. The last part is about public speaking.
CHM 3020 – Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry (Syllabus)
Description: Survey on bonding theories, molecular symmetry, and acid/base chemistry, the main group elements and basic coordination chemistry. Stresses conceptual/phenomenological trends rather than descriptive facts.
CHM 6070/7070 – Advanced Bioinorganic Chemistry (Syllabus)
Description: Focus on the role of metals in biological systems along with treatment on the main techniques and theories relevant to inorganic and biological chemistry. Coverage of several metallodrugs is also discussed.
CHM 7020 – Physical Inorganic Chemistry (Syllabus)
Description: Survey on techniques such as vibrational and electronic spectroscopy, EPR, magnetism, and Mossbauer, electrochemistry.
CHM 7040 – Chemical Applications of Group Theory
Description: Mathematical basis of group theory applied to bonding in complexes and spectroscopy.
CHM 8090 – Advanced Topics in Coordination Chemistry (Syllabus)
Description: Survey on transition metals, ligand design, study of cases from recent literature.
Outreach
I. Science and logic outreach to children
The P.I. teamed up with Susick Elementary School to develop the Susick/NSF Critical Thinking at Early Ages Program for second graders where chemical experiments were integrated into the regular curriculum. The experiments dealt with matter & change, solutions & surfactants, and chemical reactions. Initially, seven students “interested in science attended three contact hours, where states of matter, physical properties, and the notion of molecules, formation of casein polymers, and of goo (Elmer glue and borax) were explored. Emphasis was given to avoid the notion of magic as chemistry is regrettably often introduced for children and transform the observations into rational and discernible phenomena. The approach was then expanded to groups of 20 students, who built Molymod models of water and ice, and hypothesized whether we can measure water shaking (i.e. molecular vibration) in the form of temperature. The students also used previously acquired math skills to plot a graph of temperature vs. the number of ice cubes in water. Current efforts aim to increase inclusiveness towards fourth and fifth graders to address Grade Level Content Expectations by the Michigan Department of Education.
II. Empowerment of minorities through science
The PI aims at academic inclusion through his work as co-editor of the 2011 and 2014 issues of the Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry dedicated to Latin American science. During his 2-year tenure ahead of the WSU Chemistry Graduate Recruiting Committee, he succeeded to achieve nearly perfect 50:50 female: male classes. He has also been an ACS-SEED mentor since 2004.
III. Dissemination of scientific ideas to broader audiences
The PI promotes science to wider audiences through an informative talk titled “Lorax’s Unless: Renewable Energy and the Future of Earth.” The talk was presented between 2010 and 2012 in seminars organized by the Humanities Center, the Science under the Dome Series, the Junior Science & Humanities Symposium and the Water@Wayne Seminar Series.
He was also featured in the WSU outreach video series “One Minute Scholar” for the episode “Spark” on the triboluminescence of methyl salicylate in Lifesavers, 2011.