My VIP [Very Inspirational Person]

Photo: Thomas Sanders

Dr. Karen Singmaster

Department of Chemistry

Nominated by Brian Castellano, ’13 Biochemistry

In high school, science was just another class to get through. Dr. Karen Singmaster showed me how much fun chemistry could be. She didn’t just show slides that put you to sleep. She made class interactive. She even threw herself into a door to demonstrate gas laws! Dr. Singmaster has been a constant and longtime source of support and motivation for the Department of Chemistry (and other related departments). She and the other professors in the department put me in a position to be as great a scientist as they are. In my doctoral program at UC Berkeley, I have met SJSU alumni who remember Dr. Singmaster and hold her in very high respect. I hope to help students gain the passion that she has encouraged in me.

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