Tag Archives: Extended Campus

Focus on ECampus – Erin Brown

Posted on by | Leave a reply

ErinBrown.jpgHappy Spring! Today we highlight Erin Brown, distance student and chemistry major with a keen interest in the pharmaceutical industry.

Tell us about yourself. What degree are you working towards at Kettering? What are your career goals?

Hi, my name is Erin Brown.  I’m from Livonia, Michigan and I am currently a Chemistry major at Kettering University in Flint, MI.  At Kettering, the students are required to attend classes for 3 months and then rotate to a co-op job for 3 months, rotating back and forth until graduation.  My first co-op position was with a pharmaceutical company called Perrigo, which is one of the largest over-the-counter medication manufacturers in the U.S.  I worked there for 3 rotations as an analyst in the Cleaning Method Development & Validation group.  The work fascinated me, and my experiences at Perrigo completely shaped my future.  After graduating Kettering with a B.S. in Chemistry, I plan to either attend pharmacy school or pursue a PhD in Analytical Chemistry.  The best part about obtaining a chemistry degree is that there are so many career possibilities!  With either of those graduate degrees, I could work in the pharmaceutical industry.

How did you find out about our chemistry program?

I discovered the online program at OSU after browsing through the Kettering website.  CH-332 at OSU was the only approved online organic chemistry II course that Kettering approved, and I’m so glad that was the case!

What did you like most, or least, about CH 332 online?

I had such a rewarding experience in Dr. Myles’s course.  The class is extremely organized and clear.  The online lectures and podcasts clarified concepts from the textbook and helped me stay on track with the material.  Dr. Myles is extremely knowledgeable, and he does an excellent job of making difficult material simple to understand.  His need-to-know sheets and review lectures made preparing for the midterm and final exams so much more efficient.  For students interested in possibly taking an online chemistry class through OSU, I strongly encourage you to do so!

What do you like to do in your spare time? Any tricks to relieve school stress? J

In my spare time, I love to paint, make crafts, do yoga, or go swimming.  All of these things are therapeutic for me and relieve stress.  Another way I keep stress levels down is by keeping track of things in a planner.  Whether it’s a traditional class or an online class, time management is of the utmost importance.  While taking CH-332, I made a calendar and jotted down when I would like to have things finished and when things were officially due.  Then whenever I checked the calendar, I knew what to accomplish that week.  This kept me on track and prevented me from getting too overwhelmed.

Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us today, Erin! Best of luck in your future plans!

Focus on ECampus: John Shelby

Posted on by | Leave a reply

John Shelby is a high school Chemistry teacher in New York City. We asked John, “Why did you take an online class from OSU’s Chemistry department?”

I am fascinated by the details of how the world works, and this is what led to my interest in chemistry. In my work as a naturopathic physician, I used knowledge about the composition and interaction of different compounds on a daily basis. When I decided to shift gears to devote myself to teaching high school in the poorest congressional district in the country, I was instantly drawn to teach chemistry. Sometimes it is hard to feel that I am making a difference, but every now and then a graduated student will return and tell me they have done well in their college chemistry class, thanks to what we studied together. That experience really goes a long way.

When I needed to accumulate a few more chemistry credits for my New York teaching license, I had a very difficult time finding classes to take. It was easy enough to find General Chemistry or Organic Chemistry being offered on evenings or weekends so that I could work around my teaching schedule, but more advanced classes did not seem to be available. For two years I tried to find courses that would satisfy the requirements, to no avail. I was very happy, therefore, to find Oregon State’s Ecampus Chemistry program. I had concerns about online classes because of a bad experience in the past, but after corresponding with Professor Lerner, I was reassured that his Inorganic Chemistry class would be different.

I was extremely pleased with the level and quality of instruction provided by Professor Lerner. In his classes, each lecture was available through audio download and the lecture slides were also provided. I found the course to be quite challenging and very interesting. I can honestly say that I see the world differently as a result of this sequence of classes. I ended up taking both CH 411 and CH 412 from Dr. Lerner.

Outside of teaching, I enjoy spending time with my wife Lucia and my cat Pushkin. I play guitar and harmonica and I really like spending time in Central Park.