It’s de rigeur these days to talk about cross-over science. And to do it. Physicists studying engineering. Chemists learning about quantitative modeling in the department of mathematics, to name just two.
It’s the nature of scientific inquiry to mash-up, and it’s how new research gets its footing, new collaborations emerge, new insights blaze forth and new discoveries are made.
Biology majors have long crowded the halls of the Henry Eyring Chemistry Building, whether it’s pre-meds taking organic chemistry or budding geneticists trying out a class in epigenetics and DNA mutation. It’s a tribute to the quality of undergraduates in the School of Biological Sciences that biology majors also make terrific teaching assistants in the department of chemistry–more than half of those listed, beginning in 2020 (and even more than chemistry majors).
Most are headed to medical school but there are some headed into research, academics and private industry. They cover the range of outside interests as well, from photography to weight lifting; and from basketball to social dance. There’s even one TA who can play the cello for you and another who could take you into the garage to work on old motorcycles. ( . . so . . . grease up!)
Meet the biology majors at SBS who have found a home in chemistry as teaching assistants.
Madelyn Chi
Major: Biology
What are your future plans: Undecided (Grad School)
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry: Positive (pun intended)
Hobbies/fun Facts: I feel like a grandma; I have back pain and I love crocheting/knitting! I also learned some basic embroidery while quarantined at home. Art is one of my favorite things to do whenever I find the inspiration and the time.
What I love about chemistry: It helps us make sense of the world, starting from a molecular level. It’s crazy to think about how tiny differences make a huge impact!
Advice to students: Even though there is a harsh learning curve, it really does get better! Focusing on understanding how and why things happen during a reaction will help guide you toward the next step. This helps you conquer the complex problems, too. Feel free to reach out for help or clarification – that’s what we’re here for!
Justin Andrews
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Rewarding
Hobbies/fun facts: Hiking, skiing, photography.
What I love about chemistry: Chemistry, especially Organic Chemistry, is very elegant and complex. I’m continuously fascinated by the power of chemistry to understand the world around us.
Advice to students: Make sure to come to discussion prepared! Trying working on the homework or reviewing your notes before discussion, it really helps to master the material faster.
Jonny Brewer
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? : Passionate
Hobbies/fun facts: I love to play soccer, volleyball, ski, and go boating!
What I love about chemistry: There are sometimes multiple ways to come to the same conclusion which may help people with different learning styles.
Advice to students: As long as you keep trying your effort will be rewarded.
Trisha Enriquez
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Rewarding
Hobbies/fun facts: I like to sing, tap dance, and tell really bad jokes. I also LOVE a good dessert and spending time with my family back home in the Philippines.
What I love about chemistry: I love how it changes how I see the world around me. Everything that happens in nature has an explanation, and studying chemistry allows me to learn how everything works together to create the world we live in!
Advice to students: Work on organic chemistry every day, even if just for a little bit of time. Getting comfortable with concepts as early as possible will prevent you from getting overwhelmed. Never hesitate to ask questions or look for help when you need it. All of your hard work WILL pay off! You’re more than capable of success!
Evan Carlson
Major: Biology
What are your future plans? : Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Excitement
Hobbies/fun facts: I like working out, mountain biking, skiing, and anything else outdoors.
What I love about chemistry: I love solving the problems and mechanisms, they’re just like puzzles.
Advice to students: Don’t get discouraged. Once you get the basics down you will have a lot of fun with this class!
Matt Chambers
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Medical school
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Satisfying
Hobbies/fun facts: I enjoy working out, mountain biking, and backpacking
What I love about chemistry: You get to solve puzzles that are applicable to real life
Advice to students: Stay on top of the work! Also, make sure to use old worksheets to study for the tests
Liam Cunningham
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Gratifying
Hobbies/fun facts: Exploring, Hiking, Running, Skiing, Quarantining, Boxing, Playing the Cello and other instruments
What I love about chemistry: I love how problems are often like a puzzle and can be approached many different way and still get the correct answer. I also love how applicable chemistry is to life from things like the Maillard reaction that give toasted marshmallow that distinct brown and flavor, to the synthesis of TNT and so much more.
Advice to students: Do your best at the beginning of the class to really understand what’s going on and once it clicks the rest of the class will be so much more manageable and enjoyable. It may take some time though, I would also say making an organizational notebook, it will be invaluable to your understanding as well as on tests and quizzes and even help you into OChem 2. One last thing I would say is meet new people, make study groups, ask for help from TAs and Holly and I promise OChem will be a great experience.
Lucas Gerbasi
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Excited
Hobbies/fun facts: Soccer, hiking, fishing, skiing, hunting
What I love about chemistry: The puzzle-solving aspect of it
Advice to students: Ochem is the best chemistry course you will take.
Emily Huang
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Fascination
Hobbies/fun facts: I like to climb with friends and watch movies!
What I love about chemistry: I love the applicability of organic chemistry to daily life. This makes learning about so much more interesting as I apply the abstract concepts to concrete examples.
Advice to students: Make sure to get out there and meet new people! O-Chem is where I met really great friends and found my study community.
Chase Hart
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Awakening
Hobbies/fun facts: I enjoy caffeine, yoga, and working on old motorcycles.
What I love about chemistry: The most satisfying part/what I love the most about chemistry has been learning to draw beautiful hexagons quickly.
Advice to students: O-Chem is what you make it; take advantage of all the resources provided for you. If you do, there is no reason not to succeed and enjoy the class.
Rachel Jones
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Graduate School in Biology
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Elegant
Hobbies/fun facts: I am a trail runner and love the mountains. I also love coffee and chocolate.
What I love about chemistry: First, I like to think of chemistry as the building block for biology, so the more I understand of chemistry, the deeper I can understand biology. Second, I think of organic chemistry as a puzzle or problem to be solved. It’s like math but better.
Advice to students: I would advise new students to work as many problems as possible. It makes a big difference and helps on the exam when you can recognize patterns even if the problem is something you haven’t seen before.
Angelina Liu
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Creative
Hobbies/fun facts: I love traveling, playing the piano, and knitting.
What I love about chemistry: Chemistry is everywhere. It’s so easy to connect what you learn in class to phenomenon you see in everyday life.
Advice to students: Develop an effective study plan and stay on top of course material. Don’t hesitate to reach out and ask questions!
Nam Nguyen
Major: Biology
What are your future plans? : Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Love
Hobbies/fun facts: I like running, baking, and binging K-dramas.
What I love about chemistry: It’s like physics but without the math or crying.
Advice to students: Organic chemistry builds on itself. Work hard early on to set up a good foundation, and all the later things will come much easier
Tara Tazehabadi
Major: Biology
What are your future plans? : Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry? Love!!!
Hobbies/fun facts: I can be very artsy on my free days and I love learning to play new instruments when possible!
What I love about chemistry: I love chemistry because it makes life make more sense in different ways! I especially love O-Chem because it allows students to think outside of the box to find the right answers for each problem and find different ways to approach the same problems.
Advice to students: Make O-Chem a puzzle to be solved! Make it fun
Tushig Tsogtbaatar
Major: Biology
What are your future plans?: Medical School
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?
Hobbies/fun facts: I love to play tennis, learn K-pop dances, and draw/paint in my free time.
What I love about chemistry: Chemistry is a challenging yet rewarding subject that helps us understand the real world with a microscopic lens. It explains why and how everything works and is the foundation of life.
Advice to students: There will be a lot of new jargon and new information you have never seen before and can be overwhelming but have patience. We have all gone through the same process so with constant practice and a good attitude you will soon begin to love all the mechanisms and cool reactions that we learn in the semester:) Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions. No question is dumb and this is key to understanding why or how something works in organic chemistry.
Truc Vuong
Major: Biology (Bachelor degree, graduate 2019), and currently Biomedical Informatics (Master Degree)
What are your future plans?: PhD in Biology and/or Computational Biology
Which one word describes how you feel about organic chemistry?: Love
Hobbies/fun facts: I am an international student from Vietnam and I have been in Utah for more than 5 years! Some of my hobbies are reading, hiking, going on long walks, cooking, and hanging out with friends and family.
What I love about chemistry: For me, chemistry and biology always go together. With chemistry, we can understand how our body and life work the way they are!
Advice to students: Organic Chemistry might look intimidating at first, but don’t be scared! Working on problems and understanding the WHY behind them is essential. I remembered when I took the class many years ago, my TAs, Holly, and my peers were helpful resources, so make sure that you are asking questions whenever you feel lost. Remember that there is no such thing as stupid questions. We are all here and rooting for you guys! And the most important things are ENJOY and HAVE FUN!! 😉
This gallery of biology majors who are chemistry TA’s was originally published here.