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Meet Jessie Lannette Stenlund, a UNT Chemistry graduate student who recently received an esteemed National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship! Jessie is conducting her doctoral work at UNT in Chemistry Education Research (CER) with the Atkinson Research Group, mainly focusing on organic chemistry education. 

“I cried when I learned I received this fellowship; it was incredibly validating to see that others see value in my work and potential in my ability to carry it out,” said Jessie. “It was rewarding to feel like years of hard work and dedication were paying off.” 

“Jessie is one of only two UNT students and one of only 1,000 graduate students nationwide to receive this highly competitive award,” said Dr. Slaughter, chair of UNT Chemistry. “This is a testament to her outstanding accomplishments and her potential as a Chemistry Education Researcher.” 

“I am grateful to Dr. Atkinson for encouraging me to apply, as well as all my mentors who gave feedback on my proposal and provided letters of recommendation, friends and family who offered moral support, and everyone else who has been with me through the rollercoaster of applying,” said Jessie. “Thank you to the anonymous reviewers who saw value in my work. And thank you to the countless educators and programs who paved the way for students like me to not just dream, but do!” 

In high school, Jessie found herself captivated by chemistry, diving deep into YouTube playlists like Crash Course Chemistry, which opened a whole new world of curiosity for her. 

“For the first time in my life, every new topic I encountered felt completely novel and unlike anything I had learned before,” she said. “While I enjoyed math, history, and fine arts, they were all things I had been learning as far back as I could remember. With chemistry, it was like being a curious kindergartener again, except instead of learning the ABC’s, I was learning about the periodic table.” 

Jessie, who previously graduated from Southern Utah University with a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Pure Mathematics, is wrapping up her second year as a graduate student. Her research work at UNT has involved designing and implementing laboratory experiments for undergrads and measuring their understanding of the material through surveys before and after the labs and quizzes. She has also found herself very interested in examining digital education content. 

“I know firsthand that not all educational media is created equal and that its presentation can significantly impact learning,” she explained. “Even as a novice, I recognized that elements like visual cues and dynamic models could make the videos more engaging and more helpful in the process of sensemaking. Now, as a graduate researcher with hands-on experience in bench chemistry, undergraduate teaching, qualitative coding, and application of learning theories, I feel I am uniquely qualified to evaluate and assess the educational chemistry content shared online." 

Jessie’s hope is that by evaluating digital educational media through expert analysis, she can help positively impact chemistry and STEM education by improving the quality of no-cost resources and lowering a barrier to this kind of education. 

After presenting at many conferences as both an undergrad and grad student, Jessie said she appreciates opportunities that give her a chance to practice her science communication skills.

“My research interests are closely tied to my career aspirations, which lie in becoming a science communicator,” she said. “With the help of this NSF Fellowship, I will have time to begin building the necessary skills now rather than waiting until I graduate. Earlier this year, I began making videos for my students that cover assignments and topics taught during lectures, and I am hoping to expand my portfolio to other forms of science education.” 

Besides her advisor Dr. Atkinson, Jessie is also inspired by Dr. Melissa Collini, an alumna of Dr. Atkinson’s research group, acclaimed podcast host, UNT chemistry lecturer, and personal mentor. 

“Dr. Collini does a really good job of applying findings from CER into her classroom teaching, and it’s amazing to see tangible outcomes from applying research-backed approaches to classroom learning,” said Jessie. “She also started a chemistry-centered podcast while she was a graduate student and has been incredibly supportive of my desire to pursue science communication.”