Name:
Ieva Reich
Country:
USA
City:
Chico
State/Province:
CA
ACS Member:
Member
Local Section:
L601,California
International Chapter:
Technical Division Membership:
Technical Division Membership Emeritus:
Subdivision Member:
ACS Activities:
SOCED Committee, Task Force on 2-Year Colleges, Task Force on Non-Tenured Faculty, Graduate Education Advisory Board, Councilor Wisconsin Section
Company/Institution Name:
Career Stage:
Professional
Research and Special Interests:
Ieva L. Reich was born in Riga, Latvia and came with her family to the U.S. in 1950, settling in Philadelphia. As refugee, fleeing the advance of communism, Ieva with her parents traversed Germany hoping to come to the U.S. to find a safe haven. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Washington in Seattle and her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from UCLA under the direction of Saul Winstein where she studied the ion-pair behavior of carbocations ions using kinetics and isotopic labeling. After a postdoctoral year with Wes Borden at Harvard, working on the synthesis of strained theoretically interesting hydrocarbons, she came to the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Here she has been involved in a variety of synthetic and mechanistic projects including the development of organoselenium, organotin and organolithium methodology. Most recently her research has focused on the synthesis of oxidized derivatives of dehyroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in an effort to improve its bioactivity.
During the last ten years she has worked on the implementation of interactive learning in her organic chemistry courses. She has found that, even in large classes (250-400 students), it is possible to have the students participate in solving problems at the blackboard and answering questions when called on in class. She has discovered that this enhances the learning experience for herself as well as for the students. The mechanistic approach is emphasized and the students realize quickly that understanding rather than memorization is the only way to learn organic chemistry. In order to engage the students, she makes a concerted effort to learn their names. She has been recognized for her innovative teaching by the Chemistry Department"s James W. Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award (Dec 2007), the Chancellor"s Hilldale Award for Excellence in Teaching (April 2008) and the Alliant Energy Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award (Sept 2008)
She is involved in governance in the American Chemical Society as a member of the Council and a member of the Society Committee on Education.
She enjoys traveling with her husband to Europe where their roots are and to tropical islands in the winter where they enjoy diving and snorkeling.
Area of Expertise:
Chemical education, organic chemistry
Years of Expertise:
26 or more