San Fernando Observatory
Congratulations to Alexander Gilewski, Chemistry and Biochemistry for winning the Outstanding Thesis/Graduate Project Award. Alexander (Alex) Gilewski is an M.S. graduate student in the Chemical Education group of Professor Li Ye. He joined the M.S. program in early 2018 with a B.S. degree from UCSB and a M.S. degree in Biophysics from Case Western Reserve University. On track to become a researcher in medicine/biophysics, he became interested in education and made a career path change. He took a position as an instructor at Glendale Community College before joining our program. In his thesis, Alex explored the use of various teaching methodologies for Chemistry students, collecting and analyzing performance data as part of his thesis. His thesis was titled "Linking of Chemistry Concepts Using Learner-Centered Assessments” and he will graduate Spring 2020. His future plans may include a Ph.D. in Chemical Education or instructional at the Community College level. Whatever he chooses, we will watch his career with interest.