Teachers help students develop as thinkers and learners, and thus play an integral part in cultivating the next generation of leaders. In a world where information is readily accessible and seemingly unlimited, teachers can help students grow as critical and independent thinkers who are able to evaluate the myriad of information available.”
“I love how fundamental chemistry is—it explains so much of what is happening in biological and natural systems.”
Before beginning her teaching career, Amy worked in a variety of research labs for seven years.
First, she began in a research lab at Michigan State University’s Department of Chemistry with Dr. Robert LaDuca. She worked in this inorganic chemistry research group for four years. Work with this group resulted in 18 peer-reviewed publications and two presentations at national conferences. Through this work, Amy was named a 2011 Goldwater Scholar.
Next, she worked in a research lab at Cornell University in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering for nearly one year with Dr. Ludmilla Aristilde. Amy completed her master’s degree in this research group and published three peer-reviewed publications. Her work focused on molecular modeling of naturally occurring algal toxins, and she won the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2014.
The third research lab Amy worked in was also at Cornell, with Dr. Damian Helbling in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. In this group, Amy worked on developing novel screening methods for human-derived pollutants in water using analytical chemistry techniques. She published one peer-reviewed paper and presented at NonTarget 2016 in Switzerland, an international conference.
Additionally, Amy worked for a summer at the Lubrizol Corporation in Wickliffe, Ohio, as a chemical synthesis intern working on synthetic oil additives.
At Michigan State, Amy taught general chemistry recitations for the first-year general chemistry class in the Lyman Briggs College of Science for two years.
At Cornell, Amy served as a guest lecturer for a few weeks in a graduate-level water chemistry course. She was also involved with an education outreach program called GRASSHOPR. GRASSHOPR placed graduate students in local K–12 classrooms to teach mini-courses on the topics of their choice. Amy taught a toxicology class called “A Poisonous Sweet Potato” in a 10th grade class and “It’s a Watery World” in second and fourth grade classrooms. She was also on the coordinating committee for GRASSHOPR for two years.
Amy will begin her teaching career at Buckeye Valley High School in the 2018–2019 school year.
Amy enjoys reading about food science and environmental quality issues, and playing with her cats. She also enjoys finding new ice cream places to try.
- Cornell University (Master of Science in Environmental Toxicology)
- Michigan State University (Bachelor of Science in Chemistry)