Meet the Cooper Group
Dr. Melanie Cooper
Lappan-Phillips Chair of Science Education

Email: mmc@chemistry.msu.edu
Office: Chemistry 216
Office phone: 517-355-9715 x 197
B.S., 1975, Univ. of Manchester, England
M.S., 1976, Univ. of Manchester, England
Ph.D., 1978, Univ. of Manchester, England
Melanie Cooper holds a joint appointment in the departments of Chemistry, Teacher Education and the CREATE for STEM Institute. Dr. Cooper conducted postdoctoral work in organic chemistry before moving to a focus on chemistry education research. Her current research focus is the development and assessment of evidence-based curricula in order to improve the teaching and learning of chemistry within large-enrollment undergraduate chemistry courses. Read more about her research description in the pdf below.
Cooper Group Members and Alumni
Postdoctoral Researchers

Dr. Paul Bergeron
berger82@msu.edu
- Ph.D. University of Utah, 2019
- B.S. & B.A. UC Santa Cruz, 2013
Dr. Paul Nelson
paulnelson@chemistry.msu.edu
- Ph.D. Syracuse University, 2006
- B.S. Boston University, 2001

Dr. Steven Petritis
petritis@msu.edu
- Ph.D. University of Arizona, 2022
- B.A. Grinnell College, 2015
Graduate Students

Sewwandi Abeywardana
abeyward@chemistry.msu.edu
- M.S. California State University Long Beach, 2015
- B.S. Institute of Chemistry Ceylon, Sri Lanka, 2009

Ryan Bowen
bowenrya@msu.edu
- M.Ed. Vanderbilt University, 2018
- M.S. Vanderbilt University, 2016
- B.S. Lipscomb University, 2014

Clare Carlson
carls500@msu.edu
- B.S. Grand Valley State University, 2017

Samantha Houchlei
houchle1@chemistry.msu.edu
- B.S. Aquinas College, 2016

Keenan Noyes
noyeskee@msu.edu
- B.S. Michigan State University, 2016

Veeda Scammahorn
scammaho@msu.edu
- B.S. Ball State University, 2021

Kriti Seth
sethkrit@msu.edu
- M.S. Penn State University, 2019
- M.Sc. Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, 2015
- B.Sc. University of Delhi, 2013
Undergraduate Research Assistants

Sydney Carlson
carls471@msu.edu
- Neuroscience Major
- Michigan State University

Jacob Starkie
starkiej@msu.edu
- Chemistry Major
- Teaching for Secondary Education Major
- Michigan State University

Nick Williams
will3280@msu.edu
- Physiology Major
- Psychology Major
- Michigan State University