B.S., Chemistry (major), physics, math (minors), 2004, Simmons College
Ph.C., Chemistry, 2007, University of Washington, Seattle (Ph.D. expected summer 2009)
Email: egunn@u.washington.edu
When I tell beginning chemistry students that science is a way of simplifying the way we look at the world, I am often met with surprised laughter or questions about my sanity (the latter are clearly thought, but not always so explicitly stated). But, despite the difficulty of learning to use the models that we rely on to explain chemical reactions and physical principles, an understanding of logic and scientific thought processes can be a very powerful tool. Much of my teaching revolves around the process of engaging students in an active dialogue to help them navigate through the sometimes bewildering array of facts and formulas to discover how the pieces fit together into a coherent whole. It is my goal in every class to demonstrate the intricacy and structure of science behind all of the facts, to connect basic concepts and help students to construct a more global perspective of the scientific process. Ideally, they will learn to apply scientific thought to a variety of problems, including those that fall outside of the reaction beaker.
I am a scientist, but I am also a citizen in our fast-changing world, and I am very interested in exploring social and ethical issues, particularly those related to sustainability, the environment, and the role of science in our culture. Open discussion is the key to addressing the challenges that face us, and I encourage students to develop their logical skills and engage in lively debate, whether about fundamental scientific ideas or larger social problems. I teach because I enjoy sharing my knowledge and watching my students develop a deeper understanding of our world, but I also teach in order to learn. I am fascinated by different learning styles and new perspectives, and seek to create a class environment where all of those ideas and viewpoints can be shared, for the benefit of all. A successful class is one in which everyone is exposed to something that they'd never thought of before.
My primary research focus is in crystallography; I like to say that I work with misbehaved crystals. Rather than doing standard crystal growth experiments that create crystals with nice, regular faces, I work in systems that are far from equilibrium, which leads to complex pattern formation. The similarity of these patterns across a wide range of materials suggests that there are basic physical parameters that relate their non-equilibrium dynamics. My graduate research project is based on finding the conditions that favor this kind of growth, and learning to control pattern formation in such systems.
As an undergraduate, I studied the growth of crystals implicated in kidney stone formation, synthesized organometallic complexes for use in organic light emitting diodes, and spent a summer studying polymer nanocomposites for use in heat resistant plastics.
Mesoscale Chiroptics of Rhythmic Precipitates, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 14234-14235
Green Challenges: Student Perspectives from the 2004 ACS-PRF Summer School on Green Chemistry Green Chem., 2005, 7, 403-407
Degradation of Ru(bpy)32+-based OLEDs. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, 2005, 846, 301-306.
Templating calcium oxalate monohydrate for in-situ crystal growth studies. Abstracts of Papers, 229th ACS National Meeting, San Diego, 2005, CHED-1118.
Dramatic enhancements in toughness of polyvinylidene fluoride nanocomposites via nanoclay-directed crystal structure and morphology, Advanced Materials, 2004, 16(14), 1173-1177
Current-induced degradation in polythiophene. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, 2002, 734, 219-224.
