Deb Mlsna, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Chemical Education
Undergraduate Research Students participated in the NSF: REU-INFEWS Summer Research Program )National Science Foundation 2018 Research Experience for Undergraduates: Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Security)
32 Students funded through NSF, Epscor, the Jackson Heart Foundation and private scholarships explored research projects on biofuels, biochars, water remediation, and soil amendment to support crop health and fertilizer retention. Students presented their work at the 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Conference of the Shakouls Honors College at Mississippi State University.
32 Students funded through NSF, Epscor, the Jackson Heart Foundation and private scholarships explored research projects on biofuels, biochars, water remediation, and soil amendment to support crop health and fertilizer retention. Students presented their work at the 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Conference of the Shakouls Honors College at Mississippi State University.
2018 REU and Summer Research Cohort
Deb Mlsna,Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Chemical Education, Deb Mlsna leads a research group focused on student learning in the chemical sciences. Her research interests primarily focus toward student learning in laboratory environments, metacognition and problem solving within the lecture classroom, and graduate student training to support the development of junior faculty.
Current Projects
Current Projects in the Mlsna lab include-
- the General Chemistry Recitation program: A peer-focused, active-learning 4th instructional hour for General Chemistry I courses, the recitation program has increased student performance on the ACS standardized final exam by 17.75 percentage points.
- Lab Partner Independence program: Lab partner rotations in General Chemistry .laboratory are used to support independence and improved learning within the lab. Students that participated with partner rotations showed a 10% increase in pre-lab quiz performance and surveyed as more satisfied with their lab experience.
Novel experiment development
Mlsna Research Group
Highlights
Congratulations to our students recently presenting at ACS- Orlando, ACS- New Orleans, and Southeastern Regional Meeting of the ACS (SERMACS).
Deb Mlsna nominated for teaching award
Grisham Master Teacher Award,MSU highest honot
CTL funding awarded
Funding to support Mass Spec protein experiment
REU student wins conference honor
publications and presentations
Congratulations to Ashlee Bartlett from Spring Arbor University, selected for participation in the Council on Undergraduate Research’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Symposium. Ashlee presented her work this Fall in Washington DC. Her 2018 summer work occurred in Dr. Joseph Emerson's lab with presentation on Transition-Metal Complexes for Olefin Aziridination and Cyclopropanation: Towards Asymmetric N- and C- Transfer Catalysts. Ashlee is expected to earn multiple publications from her summer REU experience.
Journal of Chemical Educations
Determination of Xylitol in Sugar Free Gum
Journal of Chemical Education submission
General Chemistry Recitation Program
Presentation at ACS National March 2018
Ashlee Bartlett presenting her work at the Shakouls Honor's College Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, 2018, Mississippi State University.
Evaluation of Student Lab Partnerships
For more information on the REU-INFEWS Program (Research Experience for Undergraduates- Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Security), check out our REU info page.
