People

Jerry Walsh

Education

B.S., University of Wisconsin, 1970
M.S. University of Wisconsin, 1975
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1977
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of North Carolina, 1977-79

Research

Chemical Education

Projects in this area are directed toward professional development programs for teachers and enhancement of science education.  Current projects involve an NSF Noyce program called Project Excellence in Science Education Learning (ExSEL) and an NSF GK12 program.  Project ExSEL is designed to recruit, prepare and retain teachers of secondary science through scholarships linked to early experiences in teaching and internships exposing students to the teaching profession.  The GK12 program places graduate students in elementary, middle or high school settings to support science instruction and to develop an awareness of the needs for K12 science instruction.  A recently completed professional development project was a collaboration with the School of Education in presenting the NCQuest project “Teachers Teaching Teachers”. This project established learning communities in high school that foster high quality science education.

Scientific Research Background

My career in laboratory research involved synthesis of ligands, synthesis of metal coordination complexes, characterization of the species formed, investigation of spectral and photochemical properties of the coordination complexes, and electrochemical characterization of these species.  Research objectives were directed toward development of coordination complexes that were efficient light absorbers that are capable of multiple electron transfer events and could be used as dye sensitizers or photoredox catalysts.  Redox active ligands that showed synergistic interaction with the metal center were studied.

Representative Publications

1. Seamans, G., Walsh, J. L., Krawiec, M., Pennington, B. “A Ruthenium Complex with 1,5-Diphenyl-3-thiocarbazone (Dithizone) Anion as Monodentate Ligands: Bis(2,2′-bipyridyl)bis(dithizonate)ruthenium(II)”, Acta Cryst. C59, 268 (2003).
2. “Coordination Chemistry” chapter for “Chemistry: The Practical Science” by Paul Kelter, Michael Mosher, Andrew Scott Houghton-Mifflin Publishing Company, 2006.
3. Paul Kelter, Jerry Walsh, C. W. McLaughlin “Operation Chemistry-Where Clocks Run By Orange Juice and T-Shirts Are Never Bare” National Science Teacher Association Exemplary Science Monograph, 2005.