Who Benefits

Faculty

Barbara Gonzalez loves to teach chemistry. And, her passion was rewarded with a $530,000 gift from the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Gonzalez, an Assistant Professor who teaches chemistry and biochemistry, is the recipient of the foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Award. The grant will allow her to pursue research that may overcome one of the biggest challenges students face when studying chemistry: the ability to link visual mental representations of atoms and molecules to their conceptual understanding of these concepts.

The Faculty Early Career Development Program recognizes the progress of teacher-scholars who the foundation believes are likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century. Recipients are selected on the basis of creative career development plans that integrate research and education within the mission of their institutions.

Dr. Gonzalez joined Cal State Fullerton's faculty in 1999. Prior to receiving her doctorate in education at UCLA, she spent 15 years teaching chemistry, science and mathematics in Southern California high schools.