"How do you turn sunlight into electricity? My research program focuses on photovoltaic materials, which are at the heart of solar energy technology. I am especially interested in the nanoscale structure of these materials, which determines their properties in photovoltaic applications.
"My students and I are investigating ways to improve a material's structure by controlling the shape of its crystals. Using chemistry, we can grow, shape and assemble inorganic crystals into nanoscale structures such as semiconducting nanorod arrays. Our research methods include pH-controlled crystallization, sol-gel film deposition, silicon micromachining, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.
"I bring a materials-science perspective into my courses, emphasizing the way that a compound's properties affect its function in modern technologies. In the nanoscience lab for example, students use functional materials to construct working solar cells and are ultimately challenged to improve these devices using their knowledge of chemistry and materials."
2004 — Doctor of Philosophy from Cornell University
1999 — Bachelor of Science from Univ of California, San Diego
Courses Recently Taught
This course covers a full year of chemistry in one semester and is designed for students with previous study of chemistry. We explore and review key principles and methods from both CHEM 121 and 124. Prerequisite: AP score of 4 or 5 or placement exam. Corequisite: CHEM 123. Offered every fall semester.
This laboratory course accompanies CHEM 121 and 122 with an introduction to modern experimental chemistry. Laboratory experiments explore inorganic synthesis, molecular structure and properties, and spectroscopy, with an emphasis on laboratory safety, computerized data acquisition and analysis, and the theory of analytical instrumentation. The laboratory work is organized around individual and team projects. Communication skills are developed through proper use of a laboratory notebook. One three-hour laboratory is held per week. Corequisite: CHEM 121 or 122. First-years and sophomores only. Offered every fall semester.
We create scientific knowledge through observation, mental models and careful design of experimental procedures. We invite you to explore and understand this process through a combination of practical experience and critical analysis. CHEM 123 and 126 are your introduction to modern experimental chemistry and are foundational to all upper-level chemistry laboratory courses. Course activities: analyze and design laboratory procedures, practice operation of laboratory equipment, assess and validate techniques, construct knowledge through discussion. Format: one three-hour laboratory session per week. Topics typically include gravimetric and volumetric techniques, standardization, titration, spectrophotometry, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, molecular modeling, separations, chromatography, thermal analysis, kinetics, programming, data acquisition and data analysis. Prerequisite: CHEM 123. First-years and sophomores only. Offered every spring semester.
This advanced laboratory course focuses on using computational methods to understand chemistry and biochemistry. Part of the course concentrates on using these methods to understand and visualize molecular structure, and part concentrates on using numerical methods to understand the kinetics and mechanisms associated with reaction systems. Computational work involves both short experiments done individually and a larger research project conducted in conjunction with classmates. This course meets for one three-hour laboratory period per week. Prerequisite or corequisite: CHEM 335. Not offered every year.
Individual study in chemistry is intended to supplement, not take the place of, coursework. For that reason, such study cannot be used to fulfill requirements for the major or minor. To enroll in an individual study, a student must identify a member of the chemistry department willing to direct the project and obtain the approval of the department chair. At a minimum, the department expects a student to meet regularly with his or her instructor for at least one hour per week. Because students must enroll for individual studies by the end of the seventh class day of each semester, they should begin discussion of the proposed individual study by the semester before, so that there is time to devise the proposal and seek departmental approval.
The emphasis is on independent research in collaboration with a faculty mentor, culminating with a thesis that is defended orally to an outside examiner. See department chair or website for full description. Permission of instructor and department chair required. Prerequisite: GPA of at least 3.2, enrollment in Section 02 of CHEM 375.
The emphasis is on independent research in collaboration with a faculty mentor, culminating with a thesis that is defended orally to an outside examiner. See department chair or website for full description. Permission of instructor and department chair required. Prerequisite: GPA of at least 3.2, enrollment in Section 02 of CHEM 375.
In this course, students will gain experience analyzing, interpreting, and critiquing quantitative claims and communicating results and conclusions using graphical representations of data. Examples will be drawn from across the natural and social sciences, with context provided for each data set, so that students from any disciplinary background can participate in and benefit from this course. This course has no pre-requisites. It will be taught at a level accessible to all Kenyon students. Excellent preparation for further work on quantitative topics, this course will hone students' ability to apply mathematical techniques including graphing, statistics, linear and non-linear regression, and modeling the graphical behavior of mathematical functions to understanding and interpreting data. Students will practice these skills by engaging in critical reading of primary sources, oral presentation of quantitative data, and expression of analytic ideas in writing. Assessment will be based on in-class assignments, monthly quizzes, and oral reports on data-driven projects selected in consultation with the instructor.
