General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry, 1st edition

About our authors

Kalyn Shea Owens earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Davis. She then transitioned to chemical education research as a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Washington, College of Education. This transition to education research was the point in her pathway that she found her true passion and calling. Combining chemistry content knowledge with the tools to investigate how people learn chemistry is her life-long mission, and she is particularly interested in how diverse student populations can thrive and find success in early gateway courses. Owens is currently a professor at North Seattle College where she teaches a range of chemistry courses. She and co-author Murkowski have collaborated for years to conduct research that focuses on designing and assessing interdisciplinary STEM curriculum, investigating students' conceptions of the representational nature of chemistry, and exploring how early research experiences promote equity and inclusion. Owens has received three awards for innovation and excellence in teaching and continues to obtain funding from the NSF to transform the chemistry learning experience to be inclusive and engaging. Owens enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and inspiring students from all walks of life to learn and love chemistry.

Jeff Owens  received his B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of California Santa Barbara in the College of Creative Studies, and his Ph.D. in Chemistry and  Biochemistry from the University of California Davis and the National Institute of Genetics, Japan. After conducting  post-doctoral research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer  Research Center in Seattle, he helped start a successful biotech  company that was acquired by Axis-Shield and is currently  owned by Abbott Labs. He then worked on process  development of antibody-based drugs in support of clinical  trials at Lilly ICOS and Biogen IDEC. Owens returned  to academics and taught allied health GOB courses and  organic chemistry for STEM majors as a tenured faculty  member and department head in Seattle area colleges for  16 years. Owens is now a Senior Scientist at Cardinal  Health and remains engaged in chemistry education. In  his spare time, he enjoys a range of outdoor activities in  the Pacific Northwest with his friends and family. 

Ann Murkowski  earned her B.S. degree in Biology  from the University of Puget Sound and her M.S. in  Molecular and Evolutionary Biology from Western  Washington University. She spent seven years working in biotechnology for both the University of Washington and a private start-up before returning to her first love, teaching.  Murkowski is currently a faculty member at North Seattle College in Seattle Washington where she teaches a broad range of biology courses for both majors and non-majors. Murkowski is passionate about the power of interdisciplinary teaching and learning to engage all students and promote equity in all STEM disciplines. She and Kalyn Owens have been teaching integrated biology and chemistry  classes in a variety of formats since 2005. She also believes in the transformative power of early research experiences for science students and manages two NSF-funded programs to provide research experiences and support to early-stage science students. In her spare time, Murkowski loves to hike, bike, and explore the great outdoors.