Samantha Houchlei

Samantha Houchlei
Ph.D. Candidate (summer 2022)
Michigan State University
Host: Professor Michelle Driessen

Abstract

Organic Chemistry Teaching Candidate

First discovered by Otto Diels and Kurt Alder in 1928, the Nobel-Prize winning Diels–Alder reaction is a cycloaddition reaction that has been widely applied in organic chemistry. This atom-economical reaction can be used to introduce chemical complexity in the synthesis of new molecules, including drug molecules and natural products. A conjugated diene and a substituted alkene react intermolecularly or intramolecularly to form a substituted cyclohexene derivative. In this 20 minute mock lecture, Samantha will introduce the Diels-Alder reaction and explain the mechanism and stereochemistry of the products formed. 

Following the mock lecture, Samantha will turn to a discussion focussed on her vision for how she might address observations of grade disparities between groups holding a variety of marginalized identities. Data demonstrating these disparities are consistent in introductory STEM courses at many institutions around the country, including the University of Minnesota and including general chemistry. Similar grade disparities are also found in subsequent courses. Samantha will describe her vision of how to close gaps observed, with a particular focus on the large lecture modality (i.e., 200-350 students). 

Samantha Houchlei 

Samantha Houchlei is a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at Michigan State University. After receiving her B.S. in 2016 from Aquinas College, she spent a year facilitating resilience training programs with the National Guard. In 2017, she joined Dr. Melanie Cooper’s research group as a PhD student studying design-based education research; focused on the creation of evidence-based learning assessments in general and organic chemistry. This research focuses on evaluating course transformations and how these transformations have impacted students learning. Her current research focuses on the scaffolding and cueing of knowledge in formative assessments. These assessments are used to evaluate students use of mechanistic arrows and explanations of the causes and consequences of an intramolecular ring cyclization, an important reaction which occurs in many forms throughout organic and biochemistry courses. She has published this work in the Journal of Chemical Education and presented it variety at national and international professional conferences. She has also taught small-group recitation sections for organic chemistry and worked to develop and advance the online student response assessment system beSocratic. This system is designed to give students real time feedback about both multiple choice as well as student drawings. Her future research and teaching initiatives continue to focus on support student learning using evidence-based teaching practices.