Dr. Michael Wolyniak and Dr. Nicole Najor from the CUR Biology division joined Dr. Kari Stone from Lewis University to talk about MIRIC - Mentoring the Integration of Research Into the Classroom. The MIRIC Initiative is a way to provide a means for new, mid-career, and future faculty to receive long-term mentorship in Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences, CUREs. Mike and Nicole talk about the structure of MIRIC and how chemistry faculty can get involved.

Members of the Chem4Real podcasting group talk about the evolution of the podcast from the early days of faculty talking about how they navigated teaching during the pandemic to the current slate of episodes dealing with topics ranging from DEI to mentoring.

Undergraduate Research - every student wants it but how do we balance the demands on our time and provide the authentic research experiences that we know are so valuable?

Councilors Catherine Chan and Sudeep Bhattacharyay talk with Dr. Cheri Barta, Undergraduate Research Director for the Department of Chemistry at University of Wisconsin-Madison about current challenges that practitioners of undergraduate research face including burnout, maintaining a balance between teaching and research demands and more. 

As Sudeep shares in this podcast, one way to flip the perspective is to remember research is teaching; in fact, some of our best teaching. An insight Cheri shares is how we enhance the peer mentoring for students by creating structures and leadership opportunities for the undergraduates in programming and funding decisions.

Cavagnero Description: In this episode, CUR Councilor Vanessa McCaffrey talks with Professor Silvia Cavagnero from University of Wisconsin - Madison about her 2022 CUR Mentor of the Year award from the Chemistry Division. Nominated by her former undergraduate research student, Dr. Brian Mounce (currently an Assistant Professor at Loyola University), Silvia joins Vanessa for an interview with two of her current undergraduate research students (Jasmine Machhi and Lucas Bartel). In this discussion, they talk about the importance of talking about diversity in the research lab and how this shapes the face of chemistry.

In this episode we hear from Dr. Kari Stone, Associate Professor of Chemistry at Lewis University, and Dr Sarah Shaner, Associate Professor of Chemistry at Southeast Missouri State University, as they discuss undergraduate research collaborations that support student training while maximizing faculty output.

In this episode, CUR Councilor Vanessa McCaffrey talks with Professor Paul Wagenknecht from Furman College about his 2022 CUR Mentor of the Year award from the Chemistry Division. Professor Wagenknecht talks about the importance of collaboration and how his mentors have shaped his experiences in chemistry.

In this episode, CUR Councilor Vanessa McCaffrey talks with Professor Mark Bussell from Western Washington University about his 2022 CUR Mentor of the Year award from the Chemistry Division. From talking about students to advice on how to best choose a project that fits the students you have, Dr. Bussell shares his experiences on what led to his award.

As soon as they are available, transcripts can be found on the Chem4REAL blog at https://curchem.wordpress.com/

Has the resilience of college campuses changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic?  In this episode, we have assembled chemistry faculty from a range of institution types and from across our country.  Together we explore how COVID has, or hasn’t, changed the college experience both for students and for faculty.

There’s nothing magical about the laboratory, and yet for many of us undergraduate research is the turning point in our careers. In this episode, Professor Chris Chang reflects on his journey from the bench to Berkeley and how his persistence, tenacity and wonder led to his success.

As soon as they are available, transcripts can be found on the Chem4REAL blog at https://curchem.wordpress.com/

Resources:

Chang Group Website: http://www.cchem.berkeley.edu/cjcgrp/