About the Author

After earning a PhD at UCSB in Physical Chemistry, 1984, I stayed at UCSB as a Post-Doctoral Scholar and Assistant researcher from 1984 – 1998. I have co-authored thirty-three papers and two manuscripts are in progress. I have been invited to chair sessions at both an Ion Chemistry Gordon Conference (1993) and a NATO meeting (1995) and presented many papers at these and other professional meetings.

I was also hired as a lecturer from 1996 – 1998. Currently I have a full time faculty position as a lecturer and laboratory coordinator, in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCSB. I generally teach a large general chemistry lecture course (350 students) and coordinate the general chemistry labs (1200 students). I am also responsible for the orientation, training, supervision and evaluation of all teaching assistants in the department each term (~60 teaching assistants each quarter).

I am one of two Faculty Advisors for the ACS Chemistry Club and I am responsible for coordination of and participation in departmental activities related to K-12 outreach. We have approximately eight 5th grade classes visit the chemistry lab every quarter (240 students and teachers per quarter). Teachers prepare their students with a number of activities before they come to the lab so students can understand the concepts we teach in a number of hands-on activities with UCSB undergraduate students. The activities are consistent with the California State standards for the 5th grade physical science curriculum. I participate in teacher training workshops in the summer and throughout the academic year (5th – 12th teachers). The program is funded through the chemistry department and faculty outreach grants.

In addition to the traditional General Chemistry Lab Courses, we offer Cooperative Learning Labs, and honors Cooperative Learning Labs (Discovery and Analysis in the Laboratory). In the Cooperative Labs students do technique labs as well as projects. The general goals of the projects are outlined in the lab manual but students design their experimental approach. As resources for their projects, students search the Internet and consult with their teaching assistant or me. Students learn how to work together in a group setting and how to use advanced analytical tools. Groups do oral presentations to the class to complete their projects, and projects are written up as research papers. At the end of the year we have a poster session. Each group presents a poster and faculty, graduate students and post-docs in the department are invited to view the posters and discuss the results. The level of enthusiasm at these poster sessions is always high and the presentations are impressive. The coop lab students feel better prepared to do undergraduate research.

I just received a large grant from the College of Letters and Science and the College of Engineering at UCSB to invest in CHEM2000 USB-VIS Spectrophotometers integrated with PCs. I will develop and implement new experiments starting fall 2002.

I love teaching, learning, working with people and getting together to share ideas and challenges. I also love to spend time with my family – we have a 17 year old son (heading off to UCLA) and a 15 year old daughter. We enjoy the outdoors, sports, and traveling. I immigrated to the US when I was 12 and I still like to go back to visit family and friends in Europe.

Petra A. M. van Koppen

2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
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