Research and Background

Justin Carmel (co-PI) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the STEM Transformation institute at Florida International University. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry Education Research at Miami University. His research interests include developing assessment items to measure students ability to use scientific practices (analyzing and interpreting data, constructing explanations and arguments), investigating how students’ identities as a scientist affects their success in their chemistry courses/major/degree program, and determining the relationship between laboratory curriculum and students’ identities as a scientist.

Contact

• Email: jcarmel@fiu.edu
• Chemistry Education at FIU:  http://chemed.fiu.edu
• Carmel Research Group: http://myweb.fiu.edu/jcarmel

Alexandria Roach is currently working on her Ph.D. in Chemistry with a Chemical Education Track under the supervision of Dr. Sonia Underwood at Florida International University (FIU). Alex earned her BS in Chemistry with a specialization in biochemistry and minor in biology from Barry University. Her research interests include investigating faculty’s perceptions and undergraduate students’ understanding of chemistry core ideas.

Research and Background

Sonia Underwood (PI) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the STEM Transformation institute at Florida International University. She received her Ph.D. in Chemistry with a focus on Chemistry Education Research at Clemson University. Her research interests are developing assessment measures to determine impact of curriculum transformations, investigating the ways in which students use a chemical structure to predict a compound’s macroscopic properties, and exploring the connections students make between their chemistry, biology, and physics content knowledge.

Contact

• Email: sunderwo@fiu.edu
• Chemistry Education at FIU:  http://chemed.fiu.edu
• Underwood Research Group: http://myweb.fiu.edu/sunderwo

Zahilyn Roche Allred is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the STEM Transformation Institute at Florida International University (FIU). Zahilyn received her Ph.D. in Chemistry with a specialization in Chemistry Education Research from Miami University in Oxford, OH. Her current work focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluations of activities that prompt students to use their understanding of chemistry core ideas to explain biological phenomena.