Professor Kathryn Riley

Professor Kathryn Riley
Department of Chemistry
Swarthmore College
Abstract

Chemistry in Context: Re-envisioning Introductory Chemistry to Serve DEI Goals

In the Fall of 2022, the introductory chemistry course at Swarthmore (Chem 010) underwent significant revision to address several curricular priorities, including improved accessibility, engagement, and persistence for learners from diverse backgrounds. In this talk, I will discuss the process through which Swarthmore chemistry faculty revised Chem 010 to its present form. I will begin by discussing the national landscape of chemistry education, its relation to the previous version of Chem 010, and its role in motivating our curricular changes. Then, I will discuss the departmental and course level planning needed to reform our curriculum. Finally, I will present our new model for the course and outcomes from our first semester of implementation.

Kathryn Riley

Dr. Kathryn Riley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Swarthmore College. She received her Ph.D. from Wake Forest University in 2014 and was a National Research Council (NRC) postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from 2015-2016. Before her current appointment, she was a Consortium for Faculty Diversity (CFD) postdoctoral fellow at Swarthmore from 2016-2018. Dr. Riley’s research involves the development of analytical techniques for the characterization of nanomaterials (NMs) and their dynamic physical and chemical transformations in biological and environmental matrices. Her research group specifically aims to broaden participation in the field by developing techniques that provide new quantitative insights in less time and at a reduced cost when compared to more commonly employed methods. Projects in her group span the analysis of engineered NMs (metal and metal oxide NMs, DNA nanostructures) and incidental NMs (nano and microplastics).

Hosted by Alexander Umanzor