Past group photos
The Chapman Biology Education Research group in fall 2022 (Jeremy Hsu, Noelle Clark, Desiree Forsythe, Briana Craig, and Zach Thammavongsy)
Lab alumni
Sarah Abdo – (she/her) was a biochemistry and molecular biology major at Chapman who graduated in 2023. She is currently a Ph.D. student in chemistry education research at Portland State University. At Chapman, she was a resident advisor for first year and continuing students and served as a supplemental instructor for General Chemistry I and II. Sarah found her passion for STEM education research in the second semester of her second year at Chapman and completed a summer undergraduate research experience for STEM education research at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She hopes to teach college-level chemistry one day. When she is not doing schoolwork or research, Sarah enjoys arts and crafts, playing soccer, skiing, line dancing, and playing viola for Chapman’s orchestra.
Noelle Clark (she/her) was a biology undergraduate student at Chapman with a nutrition minor who graduated in 2024. She is currently a Ph.D. student in biology education research at the University of Georgia. She served as a supplemental instructor (SI) for an introductory biology course. Noelle has a large passion for teaching and education with the goal of becoming a professor of biology in the future. In her free time, Noelle enjoys surfing, playing guitar, drawing, running, rock climbing, and exploring tide pools.
Gabriella Dauber (she/her) was a biology undergraduate student at Chapman with a sociology minor who graduated in 2024. She currently works as a lab technician in a plant ecophysiology lab. She works as a tutor for the intro to molecular genetics and human physiology courses. Gabriella is interested in education and plans to pursue teaching biology at the college level. Outside of school, you can find her spending time at the beach, playing piano, drawing, listening to music, and reading her Bible.
Rebecca Green (she/her) works as an academic administrator in the Schmid College of Science and Technology, supporting faculty and student success. She holds a master of science in educational research, evaluation, and assessment from Northern Illinois University, where her work focused on using quantitative models to examine diversity in STEM education. Her research interests include neurodiversity in education, as well as equity and inclusion issues at large. Beyond the Keck Center, Rebecca enjoys time at the beach, a good book, noodling on her guitar, and watching baseball with her family.
Zach Thammavongsy (he/him) was an instructor of chemistry at Chapman University, and is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Santiago Canyon College. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Irvine in the laboratory of Professor Jenny Yang. He graduated with a B.S. and M.S. from Western Washington University. Zach joined Chapman University in 2019 as a postdoctoral scholar in the Grand Challenge Initiatives program before becoming an instructor of general and inorganic chemistry. Zach is interested in expanding the active learning toolbox in the chemistry classroom. He is currently developing and testing the viability of educational games in the chemistry classroom. Zach started a science education company called d-Orbital Games in 2017 and has since sold more than 500 copies of his chemistry games worldwide.