Well, in a way, I live a double life. In the spring semesters, I teach Organic Chemistry II. This is one of the more challenging courses for pre-professional students in their curriculum, and the class size averages approximately 350 students. This class is high intensity, and I really enjoy lecturing to this class size. On one hand, I get to interact with some of the best students in the university. On the other, many students struggle mightily with this course, which makes for not-so-pleasant encounters. In the fall semesters, I teach smaller sections of either Equilibrium Thermodynamics or Soft Materials. These classes are very enjoyable because of the more personal interactions that I can have with the students. I would have to say that Soft Materials is my favorite overall. This is an upper-level undergraduate/graduate course in both chemistry and engineering about the properties of polymers. The diversity of thought from the students makes this course enjoyable, since students from different colleges and departments such as pharmacy, food science, engineering, chemistry and physics are usually enrolled.
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