Sam Pazicni
Hi! My name is Sam Pazicni and I am a currently a post-doctoral teaching and research fellow at the University of Michigan. Indeed, my work is bipolar. I toil in the laboratory of Prof. Jim Penner-Hahn, applying synchrotron radiation techniques to the study of metals in biological systems; I also lecture Chemistry 260, an introductory physical chemistry course for chemistry and engineering majors, which I am striving to teach conceptually, rather than with complex and scary equations (no offense, Dr. Schrödinger). I received my Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, under the tutelage of Prof. Judith Burstyn, in 2006. I grew up in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, where I attended Washington and Jefferson College and received B.A. degrees in Chemistry and Music in 2001. I hope to one day (very soon!) become a faculty member and contribute to the scholarship of undergraduate and graduate chemistry education.
I was fortunate in that my undergraduate institution had a very active Students Affiliates chapter. Thus, I was introduced to the ACS as a college freshman, though, I admit, I didn't understand much of the contents of C&EN at the time! As a junior, I was selected as the student liaison to the Undergraduate Programming Task Force, a group within the ACS that plans undergraduate activities at National Meetings. This was an amazing experience, as I witnessed first-hand some "behind-the-scenes" ACS action. Evidently, I'm hooked! As a member of the YCC, I am currently a member of the Society Interface and Outreach Committee and am involved in National Meeting programming. I also enjoy interfacing with other factions of the society, specifically the Graduate Education Advisory Board, Local Section Activities, and the Joint Subcommittee on Diversity.
I do consciously make an effort to have a well-rounded life, difficult as that may be! I perform and direct with local community theatre organizations such as Ann Arbor Civic Theatre and Destination Theatre in Canton, MI. I also am an avid roller-blader and a pretty darn good cook!