Teaching
Chem 301 (Fall 2016-2020)
Elements of Physical Chemistry
This course will survey several main topics of modern physical chemistry, including quantum chemistry, molecular structure, and molecular spectroscopy, which describe microscopic properties of systems; thermodynamics and chemical kinetics, which describe macroscopic properties of systems; and statistical mechanics, which provides the connection between microscopic and macroscopic properties. Because the course attempts to treat all these topics in a single semester rather than in the more traditional two-semester format, there will necessarily be compromises in breadth and depth. The goal will be to provide a firm grounding in the essential principles of physical chemistry that can be used as a foundation for other chemistry and science courses, and for more advanced topics or applications of physical chemistry that might be encountered.
Chem 590 (Fall 2015, Spring 2017-2019)
Physical Chemistry Tools for Spectroscopy and Microscopy in Living Systems
The study of dynamics in biological systems demands ever higher precision and information content from live-cell measurements. As the “jack-of-all-trades”, physical chemists have been at the forefront of the development of the next generation of tools which push the spatial, temporal and spectral resolution of these measurements. In this course, we aim to develop the physics and chemistry which underlie state-of-the-art live cell microscopy methods. Students will develop models for materials and methods using “paper and pencil” style physics and quantum mechanics, helping to develop a deeper understanding of the critical aspects of different measurement techniques. For models where the mathematics becomes an obstacle, the students will learn to use the software program MATLAB to perform numerical simulation and data visualization. No experience of MATLAB is expected or required.