This purpose of this blog is to allow current and former PFFs to be able to discuss topics and ask  questions more easily.  It was also discussed that PFFs that use the blog should introduce themselves so help get an idea of where we all are, so this is my introduction.

I did my undergraduate at Wabash College (small, liberal arts, undergrad only) in chemistry.  I was involved in a lot of undergraduate research, which sparked my interest and got me to go to grad school.  My graduate work was in computational chemistry at the University of Minnesota for Dr. Darrin York (who is now at Rutgers).  My graduate work was fairly broad (e.g. implicit solvation, DFT, force field parameterization) because I was trying to get a grasp of as much of the field as I could because I knew I wanted to teach at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI).

After I received my Ph.D. I came to Boston University as a PFF.  I worked with John Straub on simulations of reverse micelles and taught general chemistry.  I got to be involved in the redesign of the general chemistry course (CH101/102) and helped start the Learning Assistant program.  As a PFF I got to be involved in a lot of course development and really evolved my teaching philosophy.  I started my own teaching blog just to help organize all the good information I was gathering as a PFF.

I recently accepted a position at Loras College and I start there in fall 2012.  I’m very excited, but also nervous because of all the demands on my time (i.e. teaching, advising, new course generation, new program development, research lab start up, external funding, having a life outside of my job, etc).