TEACHING

Teaching undergraduate students and working with my graduate students is one of the most rewarding and important parts of my activities at UCLA. Since 2003, I have been developing innovative ways to teach and develop lectures and discussions that bring not only academically important education to the students, but also a sense of the real world of technology from the perspective of corporate and small high-tech companies. I am particularly aware, after working in corporate research as well as liaising with universities for 20 years prior to my career at UCLA, of the disconnect and the mis-expectations that many students only encounter after they have graduated. Because of my past professional experience, my teaching methods differ from those of Professors who have worked their way up the academic system and I feel that bringing my own style of teaching is something that I can uniquely contribute to UCLA as a part of the pool of experience that students encounter at UCLA.

I believe that hands-on and self-motivated actions such as enquiry-based-learning and real experimentation are key parts of the education process. The same is true for communication,whereby students become accustomed to present material orally, interact in discussions, create poster sessions or prepare reports as an interactive group.
In addition to my interest in developing science education on campus, I am also interested in generating interest in science at a high school level. Last year a group of my graduate students and I spent a day at Santa Monica High School presenting an overview of nanotechnology as well as bringing a functioning Scanning Tunneling Microscope. This event was well attended and stimulated not only the Santa Monica High School students but the graduate students too. Outreach activities in education, of course included the 300,000 people who visited the NANO exhibit at LACMA (2003-04). This exhibition alone generated numerous articles and mentions in the press. I am committed to the dissemination of knowledge beyond academia and to make science and high technology accessible to the public, specifically to children. This is the reason that Art|Science projects, public events and events involving children are so important to me.

Current students please go to the Virtual Office Hours webpage for course information, handouts and announcements.

For current Chemistry and Biochemistry course listings, please visit the Registrar's Office webpage.

For more information about Chemistry and Biochemistry courses and curricula, please visit the UCLA General Catalog webpage.