Hayley Wan is director of the organic chemistry laboratory for all undergraduate courses. Photo credit: John Ulan
What do you teach?
I am responsible for the laboratory component of all the undergraduate organic chemistry courses (CHEM 164/261, 263, 361 and 363).
Why should people learn about it?
People should learn about organic chemistry because it is cool! That just made me sound really nerdy-but you have to be passionate about what you teach, right? Chemistry is a core subject area and people are often surprised to discover how much of a role organic chemistry plays in their daily lives.
What are some of its real-world applications?
Look around and you will find that organic chemistry is everywhere-from drugs and medication to perfumes to food and much more. The organic laboratory skills students learn can be applied across many disciplines and fields. For example, have you ever been on a tour of a whisky or spirit distillery and looked carefully at the equipment that is used? The techniques employed and the equipment used in these industries are very similar to what is taught in the undergraduate laboratory, except that it is on a much larger scale. A previous vacation visit to a Scottish distillery was the inspiration behind one of the laboratory experiments for the introductory organic chemistry course.
What's the coolest thing about this subject area?
"As a teacher, you strive to have the light bulb illuminate in all of your students, not just a select few." -Hayley Wan
Organic chemistry can be a link to many other disciplines and industries, such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, biochemistry, polymers, pigments, fragrances, food and flavoring, etc. Chemistry has applications to almost everything in daily life.
You are this year's recipient of the Faculty of Science Teaching Innovation Fund grant. What are your plans for this grant and what was the inspiration?
The grant is being used to fund collaboration between Professor Florence Williams, myself and Onlea (a University of Alberta spinoff company that focuses on the production of digital teaching resources). We are developing a tutorial app to assist students in the learning of organic spectroscopy. Through the years, I have seen many students struggle with spectroscopy and become overwhelmed. Since spectroscopy is a major topic area in the curriculum, I wanted to create an interactive study resource that will, not only be engaging, but will also help students learn, practice and apply their knowledge. This is a three-year project and the plan is to develop an app that will be useful for introductory as well as advanced level students.
You have a long history of teaching innovation in this Faculty of Science - why is it important to be nimble when it comes to teaching?
Students are not robots-we do not all learn in the same way. Therefore it is important to be able to adapt and teach in a multitude of different ways to accommodate different educational backgrounds and learning styles. As a teacher, you strive to have the light bulb illuminate in all of your students, not just a select few. Innovative teaching ideas are important to keep your students engaged and wanting to learn more. Therefore I am constantly thinking of new ways to make learning organic chemistry exciting for students.
What was your favourite learning experience as an undergrad, and how do you incorporate that experience into teaching your students?
I used to enjoy the laboratory courses the most-so it is no surprise then that I am now a laboratory director! I enjoyed the hands-on experience and knowing that something I was synthesizing in the laboratory had an application in the outside world. Taking this into account now, I often try to introduce 'real-life' concepts and scenarios into the laboratory component of all the undergraduate courses to better engage the students and assist them in their learning of organic chemistry.
What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?
During my early high school years, my original career plan was to become an artist. That changed when I saw a children's chemistry set being advertised in a commercial and my parents wouldn't allow me to have one because they thought it was dangerous-so I ended up making chemistry my career instead! However, I didn't actually give up on the artistic side of me and in my spare time, you will sometimes find me hanging out in my art studio at home.