Meet the Group
Dr. Erin Saitta
Assistant Professor in Chemistry
Dr. Erin Saitta is from Tampa Florida and received her undergraduate degree from UCF in Science Education-Chemistry with a minor in Chemistry. She received her Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry and continued with a post doc at the UCF Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, in collaboration with the College of Sciences and Department of Chemistry. She has over a decade of experience in faculty professional development and evidence-based curricular design where she specializes in GTA training, inquiry-based instruction, and collaborative action research. Her work has been published in reputable journals such as Science, the Journal of Chemical Education, and the Journal of Science Education & Technology. In August of 2013, she was awarded the Science prize for Inquiry-Based Instruction. She loves her family, dance, and the US National Women’s Soccer team.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr. Christopher Nix received his Bachelor of Science in chemistry at the University of Central Florida. He received his PhD in Chemistry and has continued with a postdoc at UCF in the Saitta CER Group. His research efforts currently involve facilitating the development of a concept inventory for organic chemistry. He also has a budding interest in the experiences of neurodivergent students pursuing graduate level degrees and the accessibility of academia. He enjoys a number of hobbies such as painting, drawing and cooking.
Graduate Students
Kathleen Lugo Charriez received her Bachelor of Science in chemistry at Florida International University after transferring from the University of Puerto Rico. Her research efforts currently involve utilizing the Universal Design for Learning to explore the knowledge, implicit beliefs, and conceptualization of GTAs with respect to increasing access and meaningful learning for students with a wide range of abilities in the context of undergraduate chemistry. In addition, she is using this information to develop training materials for GTAs in chemistry departments that promote the use of inclusive teaching practices. Kathleen has extensive research experience in environmental chemistry and as a Latina woman in STEM strives to mentor and support Spanish speaking communities, as such has developed her project fully bilingual. She enjoys many activities such as traveling, reading, dancing, and being at the beach.
Jarah Nelson received his bachelor’s in Chemistry: Environmental Chemistry from Florida Southern College in 2023. He has previously done research in biochemistry in the REU: PR-Climb at the University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras/Centro Comprehensivo de Cáncer. He then completed his undergraduate thesis in Chemical Education modifying an esterification reaction to be accessible to blind and visually impaired students. He plans to continue this field of research in making chemistry accessible for blind and visually impaired (BVI) in the Saitta lab, with a focus on data analysis, laboratory education, and spectroscopic analysis.
Esther Richards received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry – Biochemistry Track from the University of Central Florida. She has always loved teaching and is thrilled to be involved in CER. Her undergraduate research included analyzing the perspectives of organic chemistry faculty and students as a foundation for selecting meaningful action research interventions. For her graduate research, she plans to explore teaching TA anxiety and empathy using mixed-reality simulation training.
Undergraduate Students
Emanuella Dolcine
Emanuella Dolcine is currently working under Dr. Saitta doing undergraduate research concerning Learning Assistants and how virtual simulation can create and achieve effective teaching strategies.
Jabdiel Laboy Santana
Jabdiel Laboy Santana is identifying resilience strategies graduate teaching assistants employ when faced with challenging situations in the lab. He is currently writing a manuscript on the effect of professional development strategies have on instilling GTA resilience through training on a virtual simulator.
Emily Rentz
Last semester, Emily worked on a project to determine student perception of general chemistry labs in which the TAs were trained using classroom simulation. This semester, she is focusing on preparing interview protocols and conducting interviews.
Ramses Rojas
Ramses Rojas is working under Kathleen Lugo Charriez on her Universal Design for Learning research, specifically assisting with the Spanish translation of interview transcripts and coding.
