Jessica Pikul

Courses

• Fall 2024
• Winter 2025

Personal Statement

Dr. Jessica Pikul teaches Chemistry at South Seattle College. She earned her PhD in bioinorganic chemistry from the University of Washington in 2011. Her career has focused on both chemistry and social justice as she strives to increase access to higher education and diversity in STEM. 

Dr. Pikul can usually be found in RSB 184, OLY 300, or OLY 304 when she is on campus. 

Pictures from my classes can be found on instagram @drpikul_chem.

Information about Dr. Pikul's courses:

My courses are offered in hybrid modalities. Here is a little bit more about what that means for all of my classes: 

• Instructor original lectures will be available asynchronously on youtube and canvas.
• Students will have opportunities in class to collaborate with peers to practice chemistry concepts and problem solving.
• The lab portion of the class is required and will meet in person one time per week (Chem 117 and 121) or twice a week (Chem 161, 162, 163)
• Course content will be contextualized to a specific industries (cannabis, healthcare, chemistry), climate change, and environmental justice.
• Online and open source textbooks will be used whenever possible, and when publisher textbooks are used alternative open source textbooks will be shared.
• The class will employ non-traditional grading practices to assess student understanding of the course material. These practices will be based on the labor students invest in the class and their proficiency in different course learning objectives. This means students grades will not be tracked as a percentage of points. It also means students will have the opportunity to revise or retake all course assignments. If you have concerns or questions about grading without percentages please email the instructor for more details. 

Chem 117: This is a 1 quarter hybrid Cannabis Chemistry class with required in person labs. Students will learn general chemistry and organic chemistry concepts in the context of cannabis concentrates. The course is designed for all students, regardless of their math and science background. The course will assess student learning using labor based grading practices. The syllabus can be found by following this link. 

• This class will not use a textbooks, instead students will have access to a variety of open source support materials. 
• Lecture class time will be used to work in small groups supported by the instructor to complete activities that support the course content.

Chem 121: This is 1 quarter hybrid Introduction to Chemistry course with required in person labs. Students will learn general chemistry concepts contextualized for allied health fields. The course is designed for students with an intermediate algebra math background and little to no science background. The course will assess student learning using labor and/or specifications grading practices. A summary of the syllabus can be found by following this link. 

• This class will use Smith's General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry 5e textbook. Students are welcome to use Ball's open source GOB textbook as well. 
• Lecture class time will be used to work in small groups, supported by the instructor to practice and explore chemistry concepts. 

Chem 161, 162, & 163: This is a sequence of 3 classes over 3 quarters teaching General Chemistry to STEM majors. The course will be taught in a hybrid format with required in person labs. This course is designed for students with an intermediate algebra math background and successful completion of Chem 139 or placement into Chem 161 though testing. The course will assess student learning using labor and specifications grading practices. Summaries of the course syllabi can be found at these links: Chem 161 syllabus summary, Chem 162 syllabus summary, and Chem 163 syllabus summary.

• The class will use an open source online textbook, Open Stax Chemistry 2e.
• The class will use an online homework management system called Aktiv (also called Chem101).
• The instructor will create opportunities for students to meet and collaborate outside of class with instructor support on Thursday afternoons.
• Course concepts will be applied and connected to current problems in chemistry, medicine, and environmental & climate justice.

Degrees & Certificates

Ph.D.