Susan Wiediger
Professor, Chemical Education
Department of Chemistry
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
College of Arts and Sciences
SW 3160 (Office) / SW 3305 (Laboratory)
Edwardsville, Illinois 62026-1652.
Tel: (618) 650-3088 (Office)
Fax: (618) 650-3556
E-mail: swiedig@siue.edu
Education:
1998 - Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, Rice University (Houston, TX)
Research Advisor: Philip R. Brooks
Thesis: Studies of Oriented Molecules Using Coincidence Time-of-Flight Mass Spectroscopy
1992 - B.S., Chemistry, cum laude, University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)
Undergraduate Research: Developing a Scanning Tunneling Microscope for classroom use with Dr. Dwayne Miller
Research Interest:
Sue’s research is fundamentally directed at improving how students learn chemistry. Projects which are currently in-progress include studies on how safety is taught and learned in freshman-level laboratory settings; how pre-laboratory instruction can affect student performance in teaching laboratories; Chemical Learning In Progress, which involves investigations of students’ work with complex data sets, with particular focus on periodic trend data; and development of demonstrations and lessons at various levels of P-20 education. Student’s in Sue’s group learn how to properly conduct research with human subjects, work with assessment and statistics, and use a range of laboratory and teaching techniques that depend on the specific project. Many have an interest in education in general and may be on the path to become science educators.
Teaching Interest:
Dr. Wiediger teaches the methods courses for pre-service high school science teachers (Chem/Biol 494) as well as lecture and laboratory courses in the General Chemistry sequence primarily taken by science majors, Chem 121a, 121b, 125a, and 125b. Most course material is maintained within the Blackboard system (bb.siue.edu). For more information about specific courses, please contact Dr. Wiediger directly.
Main Service Activities:
In addition to activities within the Chemistry Department and SIUE, Dr. Wiediger is also involved in local and national activities of the American Chemical Society, primarily in areas that intersect with education or safety initiatives.
