Judith Poë

My interests in bioinorganic chemistry focus on metalloenzyme mechanisms and the design of inorganic complexes to mimic the functionality of copper and iron containing oxidases and oxygenases.  A portion of CHM333H involves the study of metals in medicine.  We look at a number of enzymes with binuclear metal centers and their implication in diseases as well as at the use of metal complexes in chemotherapy.

Recent work in chemistry education involves the active learning pedagogies, problem-based learning and service learning.  PBL is a process by which the content and methods of a discipline are learned in an environment in which they are to be used to address a real-world problem. The key feature is that the learning process is initiated by the problem. The problem, in effect, directs the learning. This contrasts with the more usual instruction in which problems are used to illustrate how to use the knowledge after it has been learned or to test what knowledge has been learned. Service learning combines credit-bearing coursework with community service and critical reflection. In response to needs identified by community partners, students provide service related to their discipline. In the process they acquire content knowledge, skills knowledge, and socially relevant knowledge of their discipline’s role in society.