In the inaugural podcast of UCLA’s Bruin Family Insights, Professor Alex Spokoyny discusses the challenges of teaching and mentoring remotely during a pandemic.
Bruin Family Insights is a new podcast meant to equip families with knowledge to help them get to know UCLA better, and encourage their student to thrive during their time at UCLA and beyond.
In mid-March 2020, UCLA moved to remote learning for spring quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic. The transition to remote education has posed unique challenges and opportunities for both students and faculty. In the just-over-45-minute podcast, Spokoyny takes part in a discussion about the faculty experience, how students can make the most of their education during this time and how families can help them do so. Listen to the podcast here.
In addition to being a UCLA chemistry professor, Spokoyny is also a Bruin, which gives him a unique perspective of the UCLA experience from both the faculty member and student viewpoints. Before receiving his bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2006, Spokoyny was an undergraduate researcher in Professor M. Frederick’s Hawthorne’s group.
The discussion with Spokoyny and Dr. Genevieve Carpio, Assistant Professor of Chicana/o and Central American Studies, was led by Kayla Albano, Associate Director of the UCLA Student Alumni Programs & Family Engagement.
To learn more about Spokoyny and his research, visit his group’s website.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
