Lisa M. Reilly Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Chemistry; The Goulding-Woolery Professorship in Chemistry; Chair; Associate Provost
Physical & Computational Sciences
Richardson Hall, Room 219
Physical & Computational Sciences
Upon earning a doctorate in chemistry at Oklahoma State University, Reilly served as a National Research Council Associate and a Chemical and Biological Defense Postdoctoral Fellow at U.S. Edgewood Chemical and Biology Center in Maryland.
The research involved a metabonomic approach to investigate the toxic effects of nerve agents on an animal model. The project used proton nuclear magnetic resonance and chemometric methods to correlate spectral patterns for the classification of samples and the determination of key metabolites.
In 2008, Reilly joined the faculty at Bethany and started teaching a variety of chemistry courses with a focus on quantitative analytical techniques, instrumentation, and data analysis methods. Research with undergraduate students and improving chemical education are her current areas of motivation.
As a child, Reilly was always encouraged to explore the world of science and took all of the courses in math and science offered in high school.
In her sophomore year, the chemistry class started with the teacher conducting a series of demonstrations that were exciting and raised the class’ interest in the material that the students were going to be studying for the year.
It was the teacher’s passion and the demonstrations that sparked Reilly’s interest that continued into college.
After a year of doubting that she could be a chemistry major and then having a summer research experience in computational chemistry, she declared a major in chemistry. She found a supportive academic and research adviser who guided her through a bachelor’s degree and on to graduate school.
Education
B.S, Mercyhurst (College) University (2000)
Ph.D. Oklahoma State University (2006)
Areas of Passion & Research
- Integration of various active learning methods into courses
- Curriculum development of interdisciplinary courses involving chemistry and a variety of fields including food science and art
- Development of quantitative analytical techniques
- Instrument and data analysis experience including UV-VIS spectroscopy, gas and liquid chromatography, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
- Computer skills in data analysis programs such as R Statistical Package
Personal interests
- Outreach programs for STEM education
- Committee work for chemistry societies
- Travel both domestically and internationally, when possible
Favorite Quote, Book, or Movie … Why?
“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” — Carl Sagan