老虎机攻略

老虎机攻略 chemistry building with green and purple ivy plant growing up the sides

Chemistry

Eric John

Instructor of Chemistry

Contact

Office
CHEM 208
Email
eric.john@mso.umt.edu
Office Hours

Wednesdays and Fridays 9:00-10:00 or by email appointment.

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Eric John

Personal Summary

Hi! My name is Dr. Eric John, (Dr. John, Prof. John, or just Eric is fine). I grew up in eastern Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. Later, I completed a bachelor's in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire before starting a doctoral program in organic chemistry at the 老虎机攻略 in 2016. My doctoral research focused on creating a form of "molecular machinery" called "foldamers" which assemble into double helices, (think like DNA), only when exposed to chemically and environmentally relevant bromide or iodide anions. These anions get bound to the center of these structures, which we can monitor using techniques like NMR and UV spectroscopy. Further research in the field hopes to control the design of these foldamers for applications in environmental sequestration, catalysis, drug delivery, and much more!

During my doctorate, I also developed a passion for learning. Once I finished my PhD, I decided to stay at 老虎机攻略 as a chemistry instructor. I became a scientific teaching fellow, and I believe in using education research to make better student experiences and learning outcomes in the classroom. That's not to say I treat my students as lab rats. Instead, I use a combination of peer-reviewed studies and feedback from my students to make the best possible learning environment. That is to say, I care!

Education

2012-2016 University of Wisconsin Eau Claire - B.S. in Chemistry

2016-2023 老虎机攻略 - Ph.D. in Organic Chemisty

Teaching Experience

Fall 2024-Present  Instructor of Chemistry - CHMY 121N and 122

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 老虎机攻略, Missoula, Montana, USA. 

  • New title, same job! I hope to continue using evidence-based teaching practices to improve the student experience and learning outcomes in chemistry.

Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Adjunct Chemistry Professor - CHMY 121N and 122

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 老虎机攻略, Missoula, Montana, USA. 

  • I Implemented active learning strategies and undergraduate learning assistants (shoutout to the LA program!) into a large (>350 total students) general chemistry for non-majors course with traditionally high failure rates. In both spring and fall semesters, drop-withdrawal-fail (DWF) rates improved by several percentage points. A standardized final assessment revealed that these students performed significantly better than the national average (65% average compared to 50% national norm), indicating that these strategies not only pass more students but also create better learning outcomes.

Fall 2016-Spring 2022 (with some breaks as a research assistant) Graduate Teaching Assistant - CHMY 221, 222, 223, 224

 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 老虎机攻略, Missoula, Montana, USA. 

  • I spent many years as a graduate student teaching assistant for organic chemistry laboratory courses and lectures. Some work given beyond the typical role of a teaching assistant included lab development, teaching lectures, and designing examinations. I helped establish new student instruction in NMR and GC-MS instrumentation including the development and characterization of samples students synthesize on their own in the lab.

Research Interests

  • Supramolecular chemistry, halogen bonding, anion-induced abiotic folding oligomers (foldamers) for use as synthetic anion channels.
  • Chemistry education, specifically in large classroom formats.

Publications

RESEARCH ARTICLES

  1. John, E. A.; Riel, A. M.; Wieske, L.H.E.; Decato, D.A.; Ray, D.; Boller, M.; Erdélyi, M.; Bryantsev, V.S; ; Berryman, O. B. Taming Molecular Folding: Anion-Templated Foldamers with Tunable Quaternary Structures Journal of the American Chemical Society  2024, 146, 24, 16419-16427. 
  2. Sun, J.; Decato, D. A.; Bryantsev, V.; John, E.A.; Berryman, O.B.; The Interplay Between Hydrogen and Halogen Bonding: Substituent Effects and their role in the Hydrogen Bond Enhanced Halogen Bond. Chemical Science, 2023, 14, 8924-8935 
  3. John, E. A.; Massena, C. J.; Berryman, O. B. "Helical Anion Foldamers in Solution." Chemical Reviews 2020, 120, 5, 2783-2810. 
  4. John, E. A.; Heltne, M. D.; Bornowski, E. C.; Lindberg, D. J.; Carli, J. D.; Legare, S. B.; Carli, J. T.; Wiegel, K. N. Supramolecular Liquid Crystals Displaying Competitive Hydrogen Bonding: Mesogenic Associative Chain Structures Using Rigid and Flexible Pyridyl Groups. Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals 2019, 691, 35-41.
  5. Carli, J. T.; Lindberg, C. D.; Heltne, M. D.; Bornowski, E. C.; John, E. A.; Wiegel, K. N. Supramolecular Main-Chain Liquid Crystalline Polymers with Competitive Hydrogen Bonding: Inclusion of Structurally Analogous Hydrogen Bond Acceptors and the Effects on Liquid Crystallinity. Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals 2017, 656 (1), 83–88. 
  6. Fuhrman, E. J.; Bornowski, E. C.; Carli, J. T.; Dietlin, M. A.; Heltne, M. D.; John, E. A.; Legare, S. B.; Lindberg, C. A.; Wiegel, K. N. Supramolecular Liquid Crystals Displaying Competitive Hydrogen Bonding: Small Molecule Mesogens Assembled through Different Hydrogen Bond Assemblies. Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals 2017, 656 (1), 48–53. 

    BOOK CHAPTERS 
  7. Decato, D. A.; John, E. A.; Berryman, O. B. Halogen Bonding: An Introduction. Halogen Bonding in Solution. April 19, 2021, pp 1–41.  

Professional Experience

INSTITUTIONAL INVOLVEMENT

01/2024-Present Montana Local Section ACS Past Chair

  • Montana Section ACS Executive Committee. Responsible for assisting the new chair and chair-elect, participating in officer board meetings, organizing section meetings, and advocating for the ACS. View our website for more information about our events! https://montanaacs.com/

01/2023-12/2023 Montana Local Section ACS Chair

  • Montana Section ACS Executive Committee. Responsible for conducting officer board meetings, organizing section meetings, and advocating for ACS.

International Experience

A Travel Award from the 老虎机攻略 Office of Research and Sponsored Projects allowed me to travel to Sweden for two months in Jan-Mar 2020 where I collaborated with a research group led by Máté Erdélyi at the University of Uppsala to study halogen bonding.

Hobbies

Outside of research, you can find me backpacking in the summer and Nordic skiing in the winter. I am absolutely in awe of all of the outdoor opportunities that this wonderful state has to offer. I also enjoy nerdy hobbies like video games, sci-fi and fantasy novels, and TTRPGs (table-top roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons).