I teach general chemistry at Laney College, cycling through Chem 1A to 1B from Fall to Spring, along with a 1B summer course. My teaching style involves extemporaneous discussion and presentation of general chemistry topics that is adapted on the fly to the needs of the student cohort. I use images, video, simulations, and models to illustrate chemistry concepts. My focus is on teaching critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and on providing students with an intuition for chemistry. If you want to know more about my 1A/1B series before you take my classes, please contact me at mstavis@gmail.com
I have also taught Chem 30A and 30B, as well as 12A labs.
My graduate work at UC Berkeley was int he lab of Ken Raymond on the design and synthesis of large, chiral supramolecular host assemblies.
My other work in Peralta includes:
Founded in partnership with Dennis Yu, a Laney student now studying mechanical engineering at Berkeley, Peralta Engineering Medicine and Science (PEMS) helps bridge the gap between the community college and four year university experience. We foster the creation of small engineering and research projects funded by student government and outside grant agencies. We also create a seminar series every semester to give Peralta students exposure to scientists, medical professionals and engineers from the community. In PEMS, students can find community, network with their cohort, and get plugged in to their career path. Join PEMS today by sending an email to mstavis@gmail.com
In 2011, I co-founded Friends of Leona Heights, A grant funded community service organization, to give Peralta students opportunities in engineering, art, building, chemistry, and biology projects at Leona Heights Park in the Oakland hills. Over 150 students have participated in Friends of Leona Heights, and more invovled students have used their experience to start careers ranging from diverse as park ranger to civil engineer. We have several ongoing projects that students and community members can join. Contact me at mstavis@gmail.com to get involved.
Ivy Hill Art Lab: My Ivy Hill art studio is focused on the creation of sculpture, interactive LED art, and molecular gastronomy performance. Much of this work serves as science communication and educational outreach. Past participation of the Art Lab at Laney College has invovled liquid nitrogen food demos and a Ruben’s flame tube.
