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Michael Burand sitting at a desk in front of a computer

Michael W. Burand

Senior Instructor
Department of Chemistry
Oregon State University

Michael W. Burand

Senior Instructor
Department of Chemistry
Oregon State University

My main duty is to oversee the CH 26x general chemistry laboratory courses. These courses have a total enrollment of ca. 1000 students per term, with around 25-30 TAs. In short, I am in a managerial role for TAs, and thus my participation in the IE@OSU program is even more intriguing as I am in the position of training our TAs; I want to ensure they provide the most inclusive, safe, and educational laboratory experience possible. I also often teach CH 23x lecture courses. These are “flipped” classroom courses, in which there is much more interaction with students as well as group work—this arrangement makes inclusivity an even more prominent issue in the classroom.

My primary goal is to find the most effective ways to train TAs to foster an inclusive laboratory and classroom environment. I believe this would be the best way to propagate a positive culture of inclusivity for a large number of our students. Furthermore, I hope to work with our Head TA to ensure that person is leading with a good example of inclusivity.

I am excited to participate in the IE@OSU program and learn how I can help my students (both directly and via more effective TA training) to create a more inclusive environment, both in and out of the laboratory.

Education

Ph.D., Chemistry