Ryan D. Sweeder , Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs

He/Him

LB Course Subject Area: Chemistry

Professor, Lyman Briggs College

SEISMIC Collaboration

Holmes Hall, W-186
919 E. Shaw Lane
East Lansing, MI 48825
United States

sweeder@msu.edu

Personal Website

LBC Courses Taught

LB 171: Principles of Chemistry

LB 171L: Introductory Chemistry Laboratory I

LB 172: Principles of Chemistry II

LB 172L: Reactivity Laboratory

LB 492: Senior Seminar

Biography

Ryan Sweeder is a chemist in Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State University specializing in chemistry education research. He studies methods for increasing the learning in undergraduate general chemistry classes using out-of-class activities. Within his general chemistry classes, he brings his research to bear by providing students with lots of opportunities to engage with course content, apply it to real world scenarios, and gain frequent feedback on their level of understanding. Through these processes he shares his passion about understanding how molecular level interactions can be used to explain our everyday observations of materials, their properties, and how they interact.

In 2021 he became the LBC Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs.

Education

Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand Visiting Researcher with the Institute for Fundamental Science, 2014
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY: Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2003-2004
University of Michigan: Ph.D. in Chemistry, May 2003 Thesis: New Reactions of Germylenes and Ketones and Assessment of Studio General Chemistry Active Member of CSIE (Chemical Sciences at the Interface of Education), Regents Fellow
Albion College: Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Math, Dec, 1996 (ACS certified)
Graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with Departmental Honors in chemistry, Trustee Scholar, Dow Scholar in Chemistry

Honors and Awards

AT&T Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award: Honorable Mention for LB 171, with Rachel Barnard (2020)
Leadership Fellow, Academic Advancement Network (2020-2021)
MSU STEM Gateway Fellow – AAU funded teaching fellowship (2016-2018)
Faculty Fellow to the Dean, Lyman Briggs College (2016-2018)
Distinguished Professor of the Year Award - Michigan President’s Council of State Universities (2015)
MSU Alumni Association of Mid-Michigan Excellence in Undergraduate Education Award (2014)
MSU Curricular Service-Learning & Civic Engagement Award (2012)
Dedication to the Enrichment of the Briggs Experience (2012, 2008)
Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award Nominee (2012, 2013, 2015)
Dutton Fellow, Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University (2004-2007)

Research

Ryan is currently involved in several different research projects.

Chemistry on Screen: This is an NSF funded collaborative project with Dr. Debbie Herrington. This project aims to identify ways to improve the quality of chemistry educational videos that students are accessing with increasing frequency on platforms such as YouTube.

STEM Equity Learning Communities (SELC) – a SEISMIC project: The multi-institutional, interdisciplinary SELC Project is an NSF-funded initiative intended to develop equity-mindedness for participants and position them to promote this mindset in their own departments.

Three Dimensional Learning for Undergraduate Science, or 3DL4US: This is large multi-institution project looking at assessing the use of three-dimensional learning in STEM courses. Want more info? Visit their website https://3dl4us.org/