Faculty on Fire
“In teaching, one size does not fit all and strategies that worked 2-3 years ago or even in a spring term may not work during summer or vice versa. The challenge is to get the pulse of your class and its persona early enough to modulate the assessments through the term.”
Dr. Vasudha Sharma
The road to becoming a professor of Chemistry at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, began on a path of research and discovery for Vasudha Sharma, Ph.D. She teaches all levels of chemistry in a variety of delivery modes - for both STEM majors and non-major students.
Born and raised in India, she completed her academic studies at Michigan State University and became a U.S. naturalized citizen along the way. Dr. Sharma’s graduate and post-doctoral research revolved around combating chemoresistance in cancer cells. She explains, “I worked on synthesis of labeled molecules to understand the biosynthesis of an anticancer compound - azinomycin A and B - and then further in the drug discovery group at Moffitt Cancer Center pursuing chemotherapy drug development from bench to bedside.” Dr. Sharma is driven by the uncertainty of research, as well as its endless possibilities to change lives.
After spending over a decade in cancer research, she realized something was missing - it was the teaching component. Dr. Sharma became a research-practitioner by taking her research experience to Valencia College where she introduces research to students through experiential learning such as internships, the honors program, and undergraduate research embedded in her courses.
Dr. Sharma explains, “When I am in the classroom, I am in another zone,” adding that what she loves most about her career is, “the interactions with students and the reflections on how I could make a concept better.” She was awarded the American Chemical Society Orlando Section’s 2017 Outstanding Two-Year College Teacher Award and has publications in scholarly journals such as the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Organic Letters and Bioorganic Chemistry.
According to their website, “The American Chemical Society (ACS) is the world’s largest scientific society and one of the world’s leading sources of authoritative scientific information. A nonprofit organization, chartered by Congress, ACS is at the forefront of the evolving worldwide chemical enterprise and the premier professional home for chemists, chemical engineers and related professions around the globe.”
When she is not teaching, Dr. Sharma enjoys painting and says “having kids changed my perspective on learning. “In teaching, one size does not fit all and strategies that worked 2-3 years ago or even in a spring term may not work during summer or vice versa. The challenge is to get the pulse of your class and its persona early enough to modulate the assessments through the term. I enjoy the process of learning how students are learning.”
