Tag Archives: chemistry

#56: Breaking Ancient DNA with David Rothfels ’23, Chemistry/Classics

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David studied archaeometry at Reed through an ad hoc major in the chemistry and classics departments (classics at Reed is now known as Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies). He was introduced to archaeometry, the application of scientific methods and technology to archaeological study, by a research mentor after his sophomore year, and then went about petitioning to form his ad hoc program at Reed (it’s not an easy process).

Reed community members can read David’s thesis, “Hoping to Smash DNA with Rocks and Pickaxes,” online in the Electronic Theses Archive.

#38: Teaching About Climate Change with Kieran Wharton ’22, Environmental Studies

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When Kieran learned that high school chemistry teachers reportedly teach climate change at the lowest rate among STEM teachers, he decided to study this for his thesis. You won’t learn much about climate change in this episode, but you will learn about Kieran’s learning process as he discovered how education research is done (lots of analyzing of interview transcripts).

Reed community members can read Kieran’s thesis, “Incorporation of Climate Change Topics in High School Chemistry: Teacher Practices, Beliefs, and Barriers to Implementation,” online in the Electronic Theses Archive.