California State University, Bakersfield
Ph.D.
More About Jesse Bergkamp (co-PI)About
Dr. Bergkamp attended The Evergreen State College and graduated in 2008. He then went on to Arizona State University where he obtained his doctorate degree in chemistry in 2013. Afterwards, he completed a postdoctoral research assistant position at the University of Bern, Switzerland in 2015. Dr. Bergkamp taught organic chemistry at Hendrix College for one year before starting a tenure-track position at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) in 2016. He continues to teach all levels of organic chemistry lectures and laboratories at CSUB. Throughout his academic career, solar energy conversion and artificial photosynthesis are at the heart of his research interests. Currently, his laboratory is studying the synthesis of organic compounds capable of driving light absorption, energy transfer, and charge-separation. All are key mechanisms to better understand and develop solar energy conversion and storage technologies such as bio-hybrid solar cells and redox-flow batteries, respectively. Dr. Bergkamp uses his research interests in the classroom to help solidify the connection between fundamental textbook chemical concepts and real world applications.
Ph.D.
Marina Shapiro (PI)'s WebsiteMore About Marina Shapiro (PI)About
Dr. Marina Shapiro is a Lecturer of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) where she teaches General Chemistry, Foundations of Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Food Science lecture and laboratory courses. Her background is in Science Education Research (Chemistry) and Learning Technologies. Her research focuses on implementing active learning technologies, such as game-based learning environments, virtual, and augmented reality into undergraduate college chemistry curricula in order to facilitate methods for active and experiential learning, particularly in the context of lecture settings where students are often passive learners. Dr. Shapiro's research focus is to decrease equity gaps for first generation underrepresented minority (URM) students to prepare students to enter into STEM workforce careers. Dr. Shapiro has received over $3 million dollars in federal and state funding to support her research. Dr. Shapiro serves as journal reviewer for the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, Journal of Science Education and Technology, book chapter reviewer for the American Chemical Society (ACS), and proposal reviewer for the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) conference for the College Science Teaching and Learning (strand 5) and Technology for Teaching, Learning, and Research (strand 12) divisions. Dr. Shapiro received her Ph.D. from George Mason University.
Ph.D.
More About Danielle Solano (co-PI)About
Dr. Danielle (Dani) Solano is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the California State University, Bakersfield. She conducts research with undergraduate students and teaches organic chemistry. Dr. Solano's current research interests include the synthesis of lysyl oxidase small molecule inhibitors and the preparation of isoxazoles and isoxazolines from nitrile oxides in aqueous organized media. She has also conducted research in the area of chemical education. Dr. Solano received her master's in chemistry at Boston University and completed her Ph.D. in chemistry with Professor Mark Kurth at UC Davis.
University of California, Merced
M.S.
More About Christopher Butler (co-PI)About
Chris Butler is the Director of Engineering Service Learning at UC Merced. Butler graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering and an M.S. in Environmental Systems from the University of California, Merced. Since 2012, he developed and increased the Engineering Service Learning program at UC Merced to serve as a cornerstone design course. Over this period, he has led over 40 real-world projects that delivered functional solutions for the local and regional non-profit service sector. Butler enjoys developing new partnerships that benefit both non-profit, or industry partners, and students, and creating experiences that provide students to gain professional and technical experience to start their professional careers upon graduation.
Ph.D.
More About Abbas Ghassemi (former PI)About
Professor Ghassemi is faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Merced and Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering, Institute for Energy and the Environment/WERC. Until January of 2020, He served as the Editor-in-Chief for Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects. His area of expertise and interest includes renewable energy, advanced water treatment, carbon cycle including carbon generation and management, and biofuels. He has authored and edited several text books and currently has a series published by CRC press in Energy and the Environment.
Ph.D., BCEEMDean, School of Engineering
More About Mark Matsumoto (PI)About
Dr. Mark Matsumoto joined the University of California, Merced as the Dean of the School of Engineering on September 1, 2015. He was previously Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education and Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at UC Riverside. Dr. Matsumoto's career research focus is environmental engineering treatment processes, particularly those associated hazardous waste sites, groundwater remediation, and water reuse applications. He is an American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) Board Certified Environmental Engineer Member and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is also a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Dr. Matsumoto holds both Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from UC Davis, and a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the UC Irvine. Before joining the faculty at UC Riverside, he was a member of the Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering University at Buffalo (UB) in New York.
Bakersfield College
Ph.D.
More About Ximena Da Silva Tavares (co-PI)About
Dr. Ximena Da Silva Tavares is a Professor of Chemistry at Bakersfield College (2015 - present). She was born in Argentina and grew up in Uruguay. She moved to the US in 2004 to pursue a better education proceeding to earn an A.A. degree in Chemistry from Miami Dade College in 2006 followed by a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Florida Atlantic University in 2008 and finally, a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2015. Her doctorate dissertation involved studying the mechanism of nicotine addiction by exploring the underlying chemical interactions in the binding of nicotine, and other small molecules, to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. While at Caltech, she acted as a mentor to undergraduate female students as part of the Women Mentoring Women program from 2010 to 2014. She has a strong interest in assisting students facing challenges in achieving their educational goals, especially women in STEM, underrepresented minorities and international students.
Ph.D.
More About Deborah Rosenthal (co-PI)About
Deborah Rosenthal earned her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Science and Mathematics at The University of Michigan. She began her teaching career in Birmingham, MI at a private school for students with learning differences. She has also taught high school chemistry, physics, and geometry in South Carolina and North Carolina. Her Master of Education in Middle Grades Science Education is from The University or North Carolina at Charlotte. She has been a chemistry instructor at Isothermal Community College in Spindale, NC, and Washington State Community College in Marietta, OH. She earned her Doctor of Arts in Chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. Her dissertation was dual; inorganic synthesis and Chemical Education Research. Deborah is currently a chemistry professor at Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, CA.
Ph.D.
More About Kenward Vaughan (co-PI)About
Kenward Vaughan received his B.S. in chemistry from Duke University in 1977 and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Yale University in 1981 under the guidance of Samuel Danishefsky. He left postdoctoral work to enter the field of medical diagnostics development. After a ten year period he decided to move into education. Kenward found his niche at the community college level and has been teaching at Bakersfield College since 1992. He has been participating in pedagogical development ever since. Kenward was honored with the Shirley Trembley Award in 2015-2016 for his teaching and dedication to students. As a department chair he has been instrumental in the doubling in size of the chemistry group, major acquisitions of equipment and instrumentation for the department, and the development of new curricula.
Ph.D.Dean, Sciences and Math
More About Stephen Waller (PI)About
Stephen Waller is the Dean of Instruction for Sciences and Math at Bakersfield College. Dr. Waller graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry from Kutztown University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University. Through his career, he contributed to major science projects in academia at the University of Arizona and Fairleigh Dickinson University and in industry at Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals and Glaxo-Smith Kline. Over the past nearly 10 years, he has been a leader in community college administration at Reading Area Community College and Bakersfield College, developing new degree programs and organizing educational grants. Current grant work partners with CSU Bakersfield, UC Merced, Kern High School District, the national Aspire program, and a national NSF I-USE grant spanning five educational institutions and five non-profit STEM pedagogy groups. His focus in education is always on improving student learning, which is foundational for future degree and career success for the next generation.
Research Students
More About Carlos Bonilla
About
Carlos Bonilla is a recent graduate from California State University, Bakersfield where he received his B.A. in Psychology in 2020. During his undergraduate education, he wrote a literature review on the importance of culturally sensitive and effective interventions for underrepresented minority children on the autism spectrum. Interested in the use of evidence-based interventions to aid marginalized groups, Carlos naturally became invested in research intended to decrease equity gaps for underrepresented minority students in STEM fields. By bringing a psychological viewpoint to the table, Carlos joins Dr. Shapiro, his fellow research assistants, and the entire Project Team to help URM students in STEM achieve their full potential.
More About Brendan Chase
About
Brenden Chase graduated Cum Laude from CSUB with his Biochemistry degree in 2021. While he was at CSUB, he worked on the research/data analysis portion of this research project. Along with this project, conducted research in Dr. Solano's laboratory developing organic compounds for the inhibition of lysyl oxidase