The opportunity to be a VIPEr fellow has provided me with a new network of colleagues that share a common objective – teaching inorganic chemistry. This program has given me the opportunity to reflect on my teaching and adopt new strategies that I can bring to the classroom and share with my students, and for that I am forever grateful.  For example, I plan to include more current literature discussions, not only in my inorganic chemistry courses, but also in the forensic chemistry course I teach.

The leadership group and VIPEr fellows are very supportive and willing to share best practices in their teaching, including successes as well as potential pitfalls.  Choosing the right laboratory experiments for the foundational inorganic chemistry courses can be challenging.  Thanks to the discussions I had with one of the VIPER fellows, I plan to introduce a lab that bridges art and inorganic chemistry.  I know my students will enjoy it.  Lastly, the workshop in June was the icing on the cake.  We had three days where we worked hard, learned about each other, and prepared for the next time we teach our course.