Worked with 1st year students from a variety of academic backgrounds to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to underpin their study of chemistry and to show how chemistry addresses world problems. The workshop material centred around 3 key themes of structure, change, and analysis with an emphasis on problem solving to form explicit links between seemingly disparate content.

Guided 2nd year chemistry students in laboratory techniques and provided feedback on their data analysis reports. Experiments I demonstrated included the topics of reductive amination, the Robinson annulation, preparation of luminescent Cu(I) complexes, and a biodiesel Investigation.

I helped with this course (Organic Chemistry for the Life Sciences) for 4 semesters between this time period (560 hours total). I ran a student resource room to provide additional help on course material. I also organized online help hours, trained new teaching assistants, and helped prepare exam questions. This course was an introduction to the basic concepts of structure, stereochemistry and reactions in organic chemistry with an emphasis on its connections to the biological, health or medical sciences. Course material included: alkenes, arenes, haloalkanes, alcohols, amines, structure elucidation, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and derivatives.

I helped with this course (Organic Chemistry 2: Mechanisms and Reactivity) for 2 semesters during this time period (280 hours total). This was an introduction to structure, spectroscopy and reactions of alcohols and derivatives, aromatic compounds and carbonyl compounds with an emphasis on reaction mechanisms and synthesis. Laboratory experiments included: reactions of alkenes, oxidations of alcohols, Grignard reactions, Friedel-crafts acylations, reductions of carbonyls, and reactions of aldehydes and ketones.

International Research Collaboration with the University of Bristol and Western University via 3 awards I was granted (Mitacs Globalink Award, Science International Engagement Fund Award, and The Aspire Travel Award). These competitive initiatives enabled me to establish and reinforce the research link between Canada and the United Kingdom by funding international collaborative research projects. With these awards, I had the opportunity to join the research group of Prof. Pierangelo Gobbo at the School of Chemistry of the University of Bristol for a period of 24 weeks. The project title was “Self-assembly of Gold Nanoparticle-based Colloidosomes via Click Chemistry for the Formation of Inorganic Prototissues.”

I worked as a summer research assistant in the research group of Prof. Mark S. Workentin. During this time, I helped develop unique research projects for 4th year thesis students that were joining the group in the fall term, trained undergraduate research volunteers, and purified carbon nanotubes for research applications.

Work-study student in the organometallic/catalysis research group of Prof. Johanna M. Blacquiere. During this time, I synthesized organic ligands for attachment to metal catalysts using Schlenk line and glove box chemistry, created calibration curves for a gas chromatography instrument, and improved the reaction yields of a multi-step synthesis of oxygen-sensitive, alkynyl amine substrates.