CHRISTINE PRUIS

Lecturer
Ph.D., Northwestern University, 2004

  Office: PS H-239  
  Phone: (480) 965-1589  
  Fax: (480) 965-2747
  Email: christine.pruis@asu.edu

Link to CV

Teaching Interests and Philosophy

I am an organic and medicinal chemist who has veered off from the traditional research path and instead has decided to wholly focus on sharing my knowledge and love of the subject with undergraduates. My aim is to help them appreciate the subject matter, to motivate learning, and to facilitate a new generation of science savvy professionals. The simplest definition of a “teacher” is one who introduces known information, techniques, theories, and applications. However, I believe that the role of a university chemistry educator goes beyond this. It involves facilitating the growth of analytical and creative minds of both chemistry and non-chemistry majors, and in the process aiding the students to understand how to apply this knowledge to the world around them. Furthermore, teaching organic chemistry is an important social commission because I am participating in the development of aspiring scientists and medical professionals, and knowing that the students I teach will someday expand science and medical frontiers adds extra purpose to the challenge of accurately and dynamically communicating the course materials.

I know that very few students in the classes I teach will become chemists, let alone organic chemists. Therefore, I view my ultimate goal as developing a student’s problem solving skills. Regardless of student’s chosen vocation, facilitating the learning of organic chemistry develops critical thinking and an ability to understand new facts while imaginatively applying his or her knowledge to the world around him or her. However, learning relies on the student and his or her motivation to work hard, and challenge him or herself. My main role is to develop this desire to learn. One way in which I attempt to do so, is to draw upon my past experiences. As an undergraduate student at Valparaiso University I worked hard to develop the unique thought process required for organic chemistry. I understand from personal experience that it is a difficult class, and yet the rewards that come from mastering the subject are immense. As a graduate student at Northwestern University I was part of a dynamic medicinal chemistry research group at a top-tier research institution. The grueling days and nights in the lab embedded in me the values of dedication and hard-work – values which I strive to exemplify and encourage in my students. Finally, while working at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals I learned first hand the application of organic and biochemistry in industry. Working together with the unique blend of chemists, biologists, engineers, and other professional often stimulated me to think “outside of the box.” As whole, these experiences give me a strong foundation to motivate students in desiring excellence in education, to support them when the information seems too much to bear, and to advise students for future endeavors.

Representative Publications and Presentations

"Pyrolysis of perhydrol[1,2-c][1,3]oxazines: a green method of synthesizing 2,3-dehydropiperidine enamines," A. Gilbert Cook, Christine A. Schering, Pauline A. Campbell and Samantha S. Hayes, Tetrahedron Letters 46, 5451 - 5454 (2005).

"Poly(ethylene)glycol-Supported Enzyme Inactivation. Efficient Identification of the Site of Covalent Attachment to a -Chymotrypsin by PEG-TPCK.," C.A. Schering, B. Zhong, J.C.G. Woo, R.B. Silverman, Bioconj. Chem 15, 673-676 (2004).

"PEG-bound TPCK aids in isolation and identification of TPCK binding to a -chymotrypsin," , Poster at Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference, University of Illinois at Chicago , (2003).

"Poly(ethylene glycol) as a means to identify the site of enzyme inactivation," , Poster at American Chemical Society in Biological Chemistry, Chicago , (2001).