Welcome to CHEM 1811! I'm the principal instructor for the course, and since we'll be spending a lot of time together I wanted to introduce myself:

I came to UVa in 2000 and initially spent three years completing a post-doc in Chemical Engineering. My research as a graduate student and as a post-doc focused on environmentally and industrially important catalytic processes, from the desulfurization of petroleum feedstocks and the conversion of natural gas to liquid fuels to the selective oxidation of aromatic compounds. Published accounts of my research can be found in Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, and Organometallics.

In 2003, I joined UVa's Teaching Resource Center (TRC). As an Associate Director, I present interactive workshops locally, nationally and internationally, regularly consult with faculty, graduate student instructors, departments, and administrative units about teaching and learning matters, and design and administer professional development programs, such as the TRC's graduate student professional development program, Tomorrow's Professor Today, and the Center's annual Course Design Institute.

My teaching interests include course design, active learning, student motivation, teaching large enrollment courses, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. In addition to CHEM 1811—which I've taught since 2004—I teach a highly interdisciplinary, discussion-based course on infinity. In 2012, I was awarded one of UVa's All-University Teaching Awards.

In my "real' life I like to hike, backpack, cook, read (pretty much everything, but especially fantasy, science fiction, and magic realism) and spend time with my wife, daughter, and two golden retrievers.

I invite you to continue to get to know me and the rest of the CHEM 1811 teaching team. Visit us during office hours or make an appointment today!

Sincerely,
Michael