Biographical Sketch
Dr. Jenny Burnham did a BSc in Chemistry with Studies in Continental Europe at the University of Bristol, followed by a PhD on boron monohalide and polyboron halide chemistry with Dr. Peter Timms. Following postdoctoral work on the precursors for cadmium mercury telluride devices with Prof. David Cole-Hamilton. She returned to her Group 13 roots working on indium monohalide chemistry with Prof. Tony Downs. Jenny has been a Teaching Fellow at the University of Sheffield since 2005. As well as giving tutorials, and lecturing on main group chemistry, she runs the Level 2 Inorganic Laboratory which enables her to persue educational research interests on the student experience in the laboratory. She completed an MEd in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education at the University of Sheffield in 2012 and has been made a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Since then she has continued to develop teaching ideas by setting up a network for staff teaching in the Faculty of Science. In her own words "I go by the name of Jenny Burnham and I firmly believe that boron is the best element in the periodic table."
Awards
Senate Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (2013)
Teaching Keywords
Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory; Main Group Chemistry; Science Teaching Network
Teaching interests
I love teaching. I love seeing students develop from nervous first years to confident graduates and talented postgraduates. It is fascinating to learn about the process of learning and seeing it from the perspective of a student again is instructive. To that end, I recently completed an MEd in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education at the University of Sheffield and enjoyed the fun of graduating for a third time in January 2013. I believe the potential of my students is enormous and it should be tapped and their skills developed. My teaching aims to stretch students, giving them the opportunity to practice less-familiar skills before they get to the work-place, and encouraging them to consolidate their learning so that material is learned for more than the two weeks of the revision period.
I am a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Senate Award winner for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.
Undergraduate Courses Taught
- Main Group Chemistry 1 (Year 2)
This segment will explore the relationship between the atomic properties and molecular behaviour of some s- and p-block compounds.
- Second Year Inorganic Laboratories
The second year Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory curriculum has been designed to build on the first year lab through a balanced programme of experiments covering the main branches of inorganic chemistry. Students will become masters of the key techniques and methods of synthetic chemistry and be introduced to more advanced techniques such as synthesis under inert atmosphere and chromatographic separation, and they will become practised in the spectroscopic characterisation of inorganic molecules.
- Chemistry Projects – Skills for Success (Year 3; course designer)
Skills for success is based on the philosophy that students should be able to customise their degree in order to develop the particular skills they need for their future. Students are required to apply for their choice of project, complete the project itself, and then reflect on their experiences in order to solidify their learning. Examples of previous project work included gaining work experience in the department, debating philosophical issues from chemistry, researching a particular molecule, writing and hosting a radio show, and experimenting in the kitchen.
Tutorial and Workshop Support
- First Year Tutorials.
- Second Year Inorganic Tutorials.
- Third Year Literature Review.
Laboratory Teaching
- Inorganic Laboratory Teaching
Dr. Jennifer A. Burnham