Dr. Leslie Nickerson

Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry

Leslie Nickerson is an assistant professor in the chemistry department at ISU. As an Idaho native, Leslie earned her BS in chemistry from the University of Idaho before venturing out of state to attend the University of California, Davis for her PhD followed by a post-doctoral position at Smith College in Massachusetts as a teaching and research fellow. During her PhD and post-doc experiences, Nickerson experienced a variety of teaching styles and was first introduced to evidence-based practices around active learning at Smith College. During her post-doc, Nickerson was fortunate enough to co-teach with Prof. Kevin Shea and gained experience in a flipped classroom taught with empathy and care.

Since arriving at ISU in 2021, Nickerson regularly teaches the organic chemistry sequence and the accompanying labs as well as advanced courses in organic chemistry and an experimental course focused on preparing near-peer students to serve as learning assistants. Nickerson believes in encouraging a strong sense of community in her classes and runs her sophomore-level organic courses in a flipped style focused on collaborative learning in groups supported by near-peer student learning assistants. While teaching and mentoring in the laboratory, Nickerson actively works to encourage students to develop independence in their experimental skills and learn from mistakes in a safe setting. Nickerson hopes to begin changing the reputation of an often-feared subject by generating a positive, supportive environment focused on embracing challenges.