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Dr. Sheryl Mason
Dr. Sheryl Mason

Dr. Sheryl Mason

Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Physics

We are truly a family here at Mount. Building relationships with our students is what we do! We do our best to support our students and provide them with information, resources, opportunities, and advice, then celebrate with them when they attain goals and take next steps.

Education

B.S. Chemistry, Mount Union College
Ph.D. Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology/Biochemistry), University of South Carolina School of Medicine

Hometown

Elba, New York

Choosing the Profession

I love science and I especially appreciate the chemistry of the human body! I enjoy sharing my knowledge of chemistry and challenging myself to find better ways to explain its concepts, concepts that many students find difficult to grasp. I also enjoy learning new applications of chemistry to incorporate into my teaching, to help share the relevance of chemistry in our lives. I grew up in a family that values education (and I married into another!). My mom was a high school math teacher, my grandfather and great-aunt were teachers, and several others in my family were educators or administrators. It is not a surprise that I followed in their footsteps. I love the chance to organize information, share knowledge, provide tools, teach skills, and support and encourage our younger generations to learn chemistry (and other skills). I appreciate being part of a team of educators with these common goals.

Research

My research interests lie in the field of chemistry education. I have developed many active learning assignments and projects to use in my classroom. Through student assessments I can determine the benefits to student understanding, problem-solving abilities and engagement in specific content. One of my larger projects includes taking my undergraduate students into local elementary school classrooms to teach the younger children some basic chemistry principles and show them a fun side of chemistry. I also study the impact that project has on the elementary and college students' perception of science (chemistry) and its importance in the real world. 

In my CHE 115 lab course (organic and biochemistry for nursing), I take our first year nursing students to elementary school classrooms to perform chemistry demonstrations for the kids. My students must explain the chemistry behind them and also describe a real world application of the chemistry to medicine or the healthy human body, all on a kid-friendly level. This is a challenging project for my undergraduates - the planning, research, and preparation spans several weeks through the semester - but it clearly benefits them and the younger children too, and everyone has fun with the final projects! The role of science/chemistry at the heart of our lives is showcased, my students find that teaching helps them learn, and I see it as a win-win-win-win project!

A Passion for Teaching

My favorite thing is getting to know my students better, not just as chemistry students, but as young adults with unique personalities, interests, and abilities. Although I hold them accountable for the chemistry being taught, I also bring my personality into my classroom and laboratory. I share a bit about myself and hope they will share a bit about themselves. Sometimes they teach me as much as I teach them! My husband and I have four children, and at least one has been near college age during my full-time career at Mount, so I have a good understanding of their concerns and needs. I hope they see me as another person that wants to help them on their journey through college and life. I also enjoy interacting with my students outside the classroom and supporting them in their extracurricular activities. I care about them and want the best for them, just as if they were my own. Many of the connections that began in a chemistry classroom or lab have developed into relationships that persist beyond their undergraduate time at Mount. My students are like family to me, and I continue to watch where many are going with their lives and careers, all the while cheering them on!


Why Mount Union?

We are truly a family here at Mount. Building relationships with our students is what we do! We do our best to support our students and provide them with information, resources, opportunities, and advice, then celebrate with them when they attain goals and take next steps. I greatly appreciated the personal atmosphere when I was a student at Mount Union and feel very compelled to give back and provide a similar experience for our current and future students. I was a student-athlete at Mount and enjoy supporting our students in both their academic and extracurricular endeavors. I enjoy being a part of the Mount Union family!

  

"Spike protein to ferritin: A scaffolded approach to develop a deeper appreciation of proteins." Oral Presentation. Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, August 2022.

"More Than Muscles and Chicken: Efforts to Develop a Deeper Appreciation of Proteins." Oral Presentation. Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, July 2018.

"Outreach in a GOB course: Nursing Students Teach the Chemistry of Health." Oral presentation. Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, August 2016.