-Life as a Chemist | Educator |Entrepreneur-
There are a few school subjects in which the mere utterance of them can invoke a myriad of emotions—often negative.
Let’s try! Let me list off a few and take notice of your own reaction.
Ready? Here we go: Algebra, Calculus, Physics, Chemistry
How did you fair?
For many feelings of boredom, confusion or stress could come to mind. The reality here is that these topics, especially the science-based ones cover fascinating matter that quite frankly, links up with much of the exponential technological change we have witnessed in fields such as medicine and engineering over the years.
Why is it that we think such subject matter to be dull or overly confusing?
Well, our guest on this episode has a few opinions on this. Not only that, she has endeavoured to help reverse some of these negative connotations towards one particular subject, chemistry.
Introducing
Dr. Colleen Kelley is first and foremost a chemist. Her passion for this topic lead her to creating a chemistry comic book series filled with colorful characters and exciting storylines that translate complex chemistry into animated mysteries.
Her comics and unique imagination have turned the Periodic Table into a playground of chemical adventure and have allowed elementary school students to master concepts often taught at the college level.
Professional Background
Dr. Kelley herself is a Chemist and instructor at the University of Arizona. She is also the creator and founder of Kids’ Chemical Solutions which is a comic-book based chemistry curriculum intended for kids ages 8 – 108.
A Passion for Chemistry
Dr. Kelley’s own journey to becoming a chemist began at The University of Richmond where she received her B.S. in Chemistry. There she fell in love with the world of discovery and research and wanted to continue explore more chemistry.
Resultantly, she headed to Penn State University and dashed through graduate school receiving her Ph.D. in chemistry at the age of 24.
She was having so much fun doing chemistry research that she accepted a Chateaubriand Postdoctoral Fellowship in Strasbourg, France with Nobel Prize winner Jean-Marie Lehn.
Her Research
Now as a respected chemist and educator, Dr. Kelley finds herself captivated by the question, “Why do my students think chemistry is SO hard?” She now conducts her research in Chemical Education to uncover this mystery.
Her Mission
Dr. Kelley is presently engaged with teaching 4th and 5th grade elementary aged students in Arizona using her chemistry comic book series. Her aim is to make learning chemistry fun, accessible, and inclusive so that it becomes a ‘normal’ part of a child’s education.”
Reasons to Listen
This fascinating conversation rightfully shatters stereotypes surrounding the world of science and chemistry in particular. Through Dr. Kelley’s stories, insights and takes on her profession and passion, listeners are sure to come away with new perspectives on it all.
This will be a talk worth listening to for:
- those interested in learning about how to better teach and prepare themselves for the world of chemistry
- those interested in how the world of science can offer so much more than sterile and cold stereotypes which are often presented about the field
- those within the world of science who may want to explore the world of business
Listeners will come away with insights on:
- How she’s blended her passion for chemistry and education into an exciting entrepreneurial adventure via her animated comic book series
- Pertinent personal / career development advice
- The latest findings related to chemistry based education
- How those with scientific backgrounds can enter the world of business
- How and why a chemist may actually be one of the most creative people you’ll meet
- Compelling insights on what makes chemistry so hard for learners
- Her backstory on how she came up with a kids chemistry themed comic book
- How Dr. Kelley builds in notions of inclusivity into her chemistry based comic book series
- How she’s leveraged her research on chemistry learning to enable the teaching of college level chemistry to 4th and 5th elementary aged students
- Why Colleen feels so strongly about introducing chemistry at a young age
- Inspirational stories displaying passion, grit and determination
- Her future plans pertaining to taking her chemistry comic book series further
- Much more!
For those with an eye on a life blending both science, education and entrepreneurship, this conversation will not disappoint.
A Memorable Quote from the Episode:
“A lot of my career path was just saying yes when people presented me with opportunities that seemed to align with what my joy was.”
-Dr. Colleen Kelley
Check out the Video Conversation:
For those who desire to view the full video conversation of this discussion, you can do so via Youtube.
Words of Wisdom:
Hear from Dr. Kelley as she provides advice to those looking to enter the world of chemistry and education.
Discover More
For those interested in learning more about Dr. Kelley and her work, you can check out these links:
Keep Listening!
I hope you enjoyed the episode. For more, check out additional episodes here!
