“I have enjoyed chemistry ever since I began studying it. I liked being able to think about a microscopic world of things that we can’t see but that profoundly affects the macroscopic world we live in. I liked the logic and structure of organic chemistry in particular; organic chemistry problems always felt like logic puzzles to me. And now, having studied and taught chemistry for a long time, I enjoy trying to find new ways to engage my students and teach them about chemistry.
When I was an undergrad at Pomona, I remember my classmates gave organic chemistry a bit of a bad rap. I’m not going to lie – I worked really hard in that class. But I’m glad I did, because as I was working hard and really learning the material I found it more and more interesting.
I have always been drawn to teaching. Even in high school, my first jobs were tutoring gigs. In grad school, I always sought out Teaching Assistant positions. It became more and more clear to me that I wanted to focus on the teaching side of chemistry. I feel lucky to be doing what I’m doing at a school like Dartmouth where teaching is held in such high regard and where the students are so invested in their studies.
Working with first-year students also poses unique teaching opportunities. Since general chemistry is often one of the first challenging classes that students take at Dartmouth, I find that a big part of my job is teaching students how to learn in college in general. It’s rewarding to help students figure out what strategies work best for them, and to see them develop as scholars. There is also something really fun and enticing about introducing the relevance of chemistry to my students’ daily lives and interests.
One of my personal interests is yoga, and I enjoy teaching yoga as well. I found this interest during graduate school, and I decided to do my yoga teacher training certification just before moving to the Upper Valley. The training was a month-long intensive, and I remember thinking to myself, “It’s now or never”. While yoga and chemistry are both very different, teaching is teaching. It feels like a life purpose – that’s how I feel about teaching. It takes energy from me, but at the same time, it energizes and fulfills me.”
– Wendy Epps, Hanover, NH
