People
Leadership Team
Dr. Jennifer Schwartz Poehlmann - Director, Co-founder
Reaching out to Stanford’s diverse body of students and beyond to share the excitement of scientific discovery has been a growing passion for Dr. Jennifer Schwartz Poehlmann. In addition to coordinating and co-teaching Stanford’s freshmen chemistry sequence, she takes a leadership role in developing training programs for teaching assistants and enhancing classroom and lab experiences for undergraduates, while also providing STEM learning opportunities for incoming freshmen and local high school students.
Jennifer Schwartz Poehlmann studied chemistry at Washington University in Saint Louis Missouri (A.B. 2002) before coming to Stanford University as a graduate student (Ph.D. 2008). Her thesis work under Prof. Edward Solomon addressed structural contributions to reactivity in active sites of non-heme di-iron enzymes, including ferritins. She joined the Stanford Center (now Vice Provost) for Teaching and Learning as a Teaching Fellow in 2008. In 2009, she became Lecturer and Introductory Course Coordinator for the Department of Chemistry, and in 2011 was promoted to Senior Lecturer. She has received multiple awards for her teaching and training work, including the Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching, Dean’s Award for Achievements in Teaching, Hoagland Award Fund for Innovations in Undergraduate Teaching, and Society of Latino Engineers and School of Engineering’s Professor of the Year Award.
Andy Mitchell - Co-Graduate Student Lead
Andy is a 4th-year Chemistry PhD student in the Rotskoff Lab. He studies computational statistical mechanics, stochastic thermodynamics, and transition state theory. In addition to his research, Andy has volunteered his time to assist with the instruction of the Chem 30 series for several years; he served as a TA for Chem 31A, 31B, and 33, and he has led problem-solving sessions and additional office hours for those classes in the years following his TAship. He now co-leads the STEMentors program and is helping to develop a new introductory chemistry course, CHEM 11. He currently plans to look for a teaching job after the completion of his graduate program. In his free time, Andy enjoys spending time with his wife Jamie and his puppy Baloo, hanging out with friends, watching Dodger baseball, playing video games, and driving down to his native Orange County to visit family.
Hannah Bartels - Co-Graduate Student Lead
Dory DeWeese - Program Advisor, Co-founder
Dory is a fourth year Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry and member of the Solomon lab, where she utilizes magnetic-based spectroscopies to study the geometric and electronic structure of iron-containing metalloenzymes to lend insight into their mechanism of reaction. Before coming to Stanford, Dory received her B.S. and M.A. degrees in Chemistry from the University of Virginia. After teaching extensively at both universities, she understands the importance of education that is equitable and accessible to all students, and has become especially motivated to build programs and course content in general chemistry courses that supports both personal and chemistry content-specific growth. Dory collaborates with researchers in the Stanford Graduate School of Education to analyze student performance across the general chemistry course, identify common challenges that these students face, and work to build instructional supports to address students’ challenges and needs.
Victoria Villarreal - Lead Mentor
Victoria is an undergraduate studying Materials Science & Engineering on the Biomaterials track. She is passionate about using materials to advance medicine and plans to pursue an MD-PhD following graduation. She was a participant in STEMentors the year it was founded and has served as a mentor ever since. She is excited to see the program flourish this upcoming school year. Originally from El Paso, Texas, Victoria is dedicated to fostering inclusing of her Latino community into science. At Stanford, she has been an active member of STEMentors, a Spanish translator for Cardinal Free Clinics, and the former Outreach Director for the Society of Latinx Engineers (SOLE). Victoria also loves to dance and is an active member of the Cardinal Ballet Company (CBC) on campus.
Cameron Ehsan - Lead Mentor
Cameron is a senior at Stanford University studying neurobiology. As a Lead Mentor for STEMentors, Cameron helps shape the program's curriculum and coordinates with the course instructors and student mentors. He is involved in a number of activities on campus, serving as managing editor of The Stanford Daily, elections commissioner for Stanford's student government, and a consultant for Stanford Health Care. Cameron is also a researcher in the Morrison Lab, studying genetic interactions between chromatin remodeling complexes and metabolic complexes. He is excited to help lead the program and provide meaningful support and mentorship for students in an effort to address educational disparities.
Current Mentors
Jennifer Hamad
Jennifer Hamad is a sophomore majoring in Biology on the Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental track. She is very passionate about chemistry and is interested in cancer research that investigates novel immunosuppressive pathways in the tumor microenvironment. Outside of class, Jennifer works to advance children’s rights and welfare with UNICEF and cares deeply about humanitarianism.
Savahna Padilla
Savahna is a junior at Stanford from Salinas, California and is studying Biology. She hopes to pursue a career in dentistry where she will be able to combine her scientific and artistic interests to expand health equity. She is also an active member of Comunidad for Health Equity (CHE), the Stanford Pre-Dental Association, and is the vice president of Stanford's Undergraduate Student National Dental Association (USNDA). Furthermore, coming from an under-resourced high school with a limited science background, Savahna is passionate about helping others succeed and develop confidence in STEM fields. Through her personal experiences at Stanford, she learned how to efficiently utilize resources that ultimately revealed new academic and career possibilities. Championing a growth mindset, she believes that regardless of anyone's background, they possess the ability to flourish in anything they implement their efforts into! During her free time, Savahna enjoys posting on her blog, hiking, and she recently learned how to crochet!
Jordan Vedelli
Jordan is a senior at Stanford University, where he is pursuing his degree in Biology. Hailing from Waimea on Hawai'i Island, he possesses a deep-seated passion for exploring the intersection of Native Hawaiian Health and Hawaiian culture. On campus, Jordan explores these academic and cultural endeavors, holding the role of student facilitator in the Native American Studies Department and serving as a course development assistant for an introductory seminar focused on maternal health. In research, he serves as an undergraduate research assistant in the Child Wellness Lab, studying hair biomarkers for stress and resilience in preschool-aged youth. Now, a part of the STEMentors team, he hopes to encourage fellow students to find a passion for chemistry and excel in the sciences.
Jude Wolf
Hi! My name is Jude (he/him), and I am a sophomore majoring in Biology and Art Practice. I am pre-med and from Denver, Colorado. Aside from being passionate about sharing my love of chemistry, I enjoy the arts (mainly film and photography), getting outside, trying new food, and fostering senior dogs. Coming to Stanford from a large public high school with no chemistry background was intimidating at first– but STEMentors showed me that everyone has the ability to succeed, and you are never alone in the transition.
Dmitrii Skvortsov
Hi! I'm a junior, double majoring in Chemistry with a biochemistry track and Data Science (BS). I am interested in using reinforcement learning and stochastic calculus to tackle problems in quantitative trading and derivative pricing. Beyond academics, I'm also enthusiastic about teaching and sharing. This summer I worked as a TA for organic chemistry classes, which ignited my desire to help others learn effectively. I completed the requirements for the chemistry major in two years, so I am eager to help with course selection and planning. Additionally, I love exploring new cultures and places, and as an international student from Russia, I'm eager to discuss Russian Literature. Outside of academics, I serve as a president of a Russian-speaking student organization where we host cultural and networking events.
Founders
Professor Robert Waymouth - Faculty Lead, Co-founder
Robert Eckles Swain Professor in Chemistry Robert Waymouth investigates new catalytic strategies to create useful new molecules, including bioactive polymers, synthetic fuels, and sustainable plastics. In one such breakthrough, Professor Waymouth and Professor Wender developed a new class of gene delivery agents.Born in 1960 in Warner Robins, Georgia, Robert Waymouth studied chemistry and mathematics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia (B.S. and B.A., respectively, both summa cum laude, 1982). He developed an interest in synthetic and mechanistic organometallic chemistry during his doctoral studies in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology under Professor R.H. Grubbs (Ph.D., 1987). His postdoctoral research with Professor Piero Pino at the Institut fur Polymere, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, focused on catalytic hydrogenation with chiral metallocene catalysts. He joined the Stanford University faculty as assistant professor in 1988, becoming full professor in 1997 and in 2000 the Robert Eckles Swain Professor of Chemistry. Today, the Waymouth Group applies mechanistic principles to develop new concepts in catalysis, with particular focus on the development of organometallic and organic catalysts for the synthesis of complex macromolecular architectures. Professor Waymouth is an instructor for CHEM 31A: Chemical Principles I, the first course in Stanford's introductory chemistry sequence.
Jennifer Schwartz-Poehlmann
Dory Ellen DeWeese
Collaborators
Shima Salehi
Shima Salehi is a Research Assistant Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education, and the director of IDEAL research lab, the research component of Stanford IDEAL initiative to promote inclusivity, diversity, equity and access in learning communities. Her research focuses on how to use different instructional practices to teach science and engineering more effectively and inclusively. For effective science and engineering education, Dr. Salehi has studied effective scientific problem-solving and developed empirical framework for main problem-solving practices to train students in. Based on these findings, she has designed instructional activities to provide students with explicit opportunities to learn these problem-solving practices. These activities have been implemented in different science and engineering courses. For Inclusive science and engineering, she examines different barriers for equity in STEM education and through what instructional and/or institutional changes they can be addressed. Her recent works focus on what are the underlying mechanisms for demographic performance gaps in STEM college education, and what instructional practices better serve students from different demographic backgrounds. Salehi holds a PhD in Learning Sciences and a PhD minor in Psychology from Stanford University, and received a B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Iran. She is the founder of KhanAcademyFarsi, a non-profit educational organization which has provided service to Farsi-speaking students, particularly in under-privileged areas.
Jocelyn (Josie) Nardo
Josie (she/her) is a postdoctoral scholar in the Graduate School of Education working with Dr. Shima Salehi (primary advisor) and Dr. Carl Wieman (secondary advisor) to understand how we can better support historically marginalized students in STEM. Her work focuses on two main projects: 1) “Understanding the Challenges of Historically Marginalized Students in STEM,” which is an interview-based project. 2) “Contextualizing Chemistry Active Learning Environments in Terms of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” which involves working with faculty on instructional and institutional practices that promote student belonging, accessibility, and opportunities. Before joining the Wieman group, Josie received her PhD and MS in Chemistry at Purdue University within the division of chemical education, as well as received her BS in chemistry at Florida International University (FIU).
Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)
Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) supports evidence-based and inclusive learning and teaching practices, educational programs and training, community building, and strong collaborations and partnerships with schools, departments, and other offices. Learn more at ctl.stanford.edu.
Leland Scholars Program (LSP)
Leland Scholars Program (LSP) facilitates the transition to college for incoming Stanford frosh who may be the first in their families to attend college, attended under-resourced high schools, or are from low-income backgrounds. The program starts with a summer bridge experience in August, and continues with a first-year seminar, advising, and ongoing events throughout students' time at Stanford. Learn more at lelandscholars.stanford.edu.
Past Mentors
Sameer Sundrani (Lead Mentor)
Isaac Applebaum (Lead Mentor)
Christian Tocol
Blen Kedir
Famyrah Lafortune
Cameron Mirhossaini
Karim Aloul
Olawunmi Akinlemibola
Olayemi Ajao
Winnie Huang