Chemistry @ IU

Contact Information:

(812) 856-4641
apelleri@indiana.edu
Chemistry C021E

Andrea Pellerito, Ph.D, received her B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Detroit Mercy. She then went on to conduct graduate work at Michigan State Univeristy to receive her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. After coming to Indiana University in 2004, she has worked to provide an atmosphere dedicated to the development of students as chemists. Andrea also assists in community outreach by helping students ivestigate career options in both chemistry and biochemistry, and by participating in local, state, and national science fairs.

As teaching faculty at IU, Dr. Pellerito has reformatted the C344 (Organic Lab II) course. The experiments that students perform in it are meant to introduce them to practical organic reactions derived from chemical literature instead of traditional labs that teach techniques and simple reactions. She specifically investigates stereochemical control in reactions; catalysis by transition metals, enzymes, and small organic molecules; green chemistry; and spectroscopy. These labs are designed to give students a better idea of how professional chemists approach organic transformations and research projects.

Research

My interest in teaching is directly related to my educational background. As an undergraduate student at the University of Detroit Mercy, I found all of my professors to be dedicated to our development as chemists and open and willing to help students as much as possible. Although class sizes here at IU often have one or two hundred students more than we had at UDM, I strive to mimic that atmosphere as much as possible by holding extra office hours, problem session, and individual appointments so that our students can get the help they need. UDM also developed my interest in outreach and scientific literacy; as such, I am always excited to participate in National Chemistry Week celebrations at IU (my classes have sponsored a Harry Potter lab each of the last two years!) and in local, state, and national science fairs and Science Olympiad. My graduate work at Michigan State furthered my interest in organic chemistry and in teaching, both in the classroom and in the lab. Consequently, my main focus in the IU Chemistry Department is teaching undergraduate organic courses.

As teaching faculty here at IU, I have reformatted the C344 (Organic Lab II) course. The experiments that we study are meant to introduce students to practical organic reactions derived from the chemical literature instead of traditional labs that teach techniques and simple reactions. We specifically investigate stereochemical control in reactions; catalysis by transition metals, enzymes, and small organic molecules; green chemistry; and spectroscopy. These labs are designed to give students a better idea of how professional chemists approach organic transformations and research projects.

Additionally, I have been working with the Career Development Center on campus to help our students investigate options for careers in chemistry and biochemistry. In fall 2007, we hosted a resume workshop with specific information for students looking for careers and internships in scientific fields. I have also been involved in expanding our Horizons lecture series to incorporate undergraduate. This program invites chemists with a wide variety of careers to speak to our students about their experiences in the professional world. Speakers typically give a public lecture and hold a round-table discussion with interested students. I look forward to continuing my work with undergraduate and graduate students and post-docs, as well as the Career Development Center and the Chemistry Department in this manner.

Publications

Awards

• Herbert T. Graham Graduate Fellowship, Michigan State University, 2000 and 2003
• Harold Hart Graduate Fellowship, Michigan State University, 2003

Highlights