students

supporting undergraduates in real-world research:

As a kid, I was always interested in science and music. They drove my interest in selecting the college I went to and, obviously, I’m still involved with science. I played the trombone throughout college and a little bit in graduate school. I still try to be involved with music, though. Right now, I’m learning to play the guitar.

I have two kids in elementary school so my interests sort of center around their activities.

I have a couple of main research interests. One of the areas is in nanotechnology and I have students working on materials that can be used to improve the lithium ion battery. I do all of my research projects with undergraduate students. I see my role as a teacher as extending into my research activities.
Another project I recently got into is looking at water chemistry and nutrients in natural and surface water. I’ve been doing this in collaboration with Dr. Michael Lemke from the biology department. We go to the Emiquon preserve and other sites along the Illinois River.

The Emiquon project is a restoration project sponsored by The Nature Conservancy. The site is called Emiquon, located along the Illinois River across from Havana. It is one of the largest wetland restoration sites in the world. UIS is involved in studying the scientific aspects of the restoration.

Dr. Keenan Dungey laughing with the Chancellor at the UIS faculty awards banquet.

UIS students, undergraduate students as well as graduate students are involved in many different levels of the project. Different faculty here, faculty at other institutions, and scientists with The Nature Conservancy and the state are looking at all levels from water chemistry to the bacteria, birds, fish, plants, history, and anthropology of the site.

University Scholar for 2005-2006, one of only 13 named that year throughout the U of I system and the only recipient from UIS.

I purposefully design all of my classes with active learning components. I teach freshman chemistry, I teach senior chemistry, I teach courses in between, and I teach a course on science and religion. In all of these courses I have small group activities based around guided inquiry worksheets where students learn the material by working through the material under my guidance.

I am the faculty sponsor for a student organization called the Christian Student Fellowship. I facilitate getting space and permission for all of the various activities that they do on campus and in the community.

The best thing for all students at UIS is that they have a degree of access to the faculty that, from what I’ve seen, only happens at private colleges. You’re getting a public education with the advantage of a private school.

As a science major an advantage is that you can do undergraduate research. In chemistry it’s actually a requirement and in all of the sciences it’s an opportunity. All of the faculty members have projects that they are interested in and many of them like to involve the students, so if students get to know the faculty, then they can take advantage of those opportunities.