Suzanne Kern, Ph.D.
Accomplishments
- Ph.D. in Biology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); B.A. in Biochemistry from Colorado College
- Received several grants for scholarship and teaching, including the Creativity and Innovation Grant at the Claremont Colleges, the international P.E.O. Scholar Award, and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
- Contributed to research at Caltech, MIT, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Minerva University, leading to several peer-reviewed publications and presentations
- Supported students as a Resident Associate for undergraduates at Caltech, as a mentor through Caltech’s Women Mentoring Women program, and as the Coordinator of the Quantitative Reasoning Center at Colorado College
Suzanne Kern is a dedicated teacher, mentor, and scientist, with a longstanding interest in undergraduate science education. She earned her Ph.D. at MIT using interdisciplinary approaches to study bacterial metabolism, with implications for clinical medicine and bio-energy. For two decades Professor Kern has supported students’ academic and personal development through teaching and mentoring roles at Minerva University, the Claremont Colleges, Caltech, MIT, and Colorado College.
At Minerva, Professor Kern teaches Empirical Analyses, Life’s Chemistry, and Capstone Seminar, and has contributed to the development of courses including Chemical Structure and Reactivity, Life’s Chemistry, Solutions From and For Life, Analyzing Matter and Molecules, and Capstone Seminar. She has also coordinated the overall Capstone curriculum and heads the College of Natural Sciences
Professor Kern’s love of both science and learning is reflected in the classroom environment she fosters, where students practice new skills through discovery, collaboration, and reflection, building upon their collective experiences and individual identities.