Dr. Kathryn Paris Kohn
Hi! I'm an MLIS student at Wayne State University. This past May, I defended my Ph.D. in Chemistry at Michigan State University, and I moved with my family to California shortly thereafter. For my dissertation research, I explored undergraduate students' perceptions of the relationship between their general chemistry course sequence and introductory cell and molecular biology course. To this end, I conducted three qualitative studies focusing on the concepts of energy and the relationship between structure, properties, and function. For more information about this work, please visit my research page. While my dissertation focused on the extensive interview data I collected and analyzed in collaboration with Dr. Melanie Cooper and Dr. Sonia Underwood, I have also collected complex survey data using Qualtrics, studied students' ability to construct organic mechanisms, and conducted synthetic organic chemistry research under the guidance of Dr. John Frost.
Teaching and Mentoring Experience
I began teaching chemistry in 2011 as an undergraduate teaching assistant at the University of Pittsburgh. As a graduate student at Michigan State University, I expanded my repitoire to include both general and organic chemistry laboratory and recitation sections. Further, I have over 400 hours of one-on-one tutoring high school students in math and science, including AP Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, and AP Environmental Science, and providing mentorship in study skills, ACT prep, and general problem-solving approaches.
Leadership
- Vice President of Internal Affairs, MSU Council of Graduate Students, October 2016 - April 2017
- Recording Secretary, MSU Council of Graduate Students, March 2016 – October 2016
- President, MSU Younger Chemists’ Committee, January 2013 – May 2015