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Rebecca Broyer

Professor (Teaching) of Chemistry
Rebecca Broyer
Pronouns She / Her / Hers Email Rebecca.broyer@usc.edu Office SGM 418 Office Phone (213) 740-0620

Biography

Rebecca M. Broyer received a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego in 2000. She worked in the biotechnology industry for the several years before moving to the University of California, Los Angeles where she received her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2009 under the direction of Prof. Heather D. Maynard. Her graduate work focused on using controlled polymerizations to make synthetic modifications to peptides, as well as fabrication of multicomponent protein nanoarrays. She was awarded an Andrew Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where she worked in field of conservation science to develop polymeric materials for the preservation of modern works of art from 2009-2010. Dr. Broyer was an organic chemistry instructor at Glendale Community College before joining the faculty in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Southern California in 2010. Her current work is currently focused on research exploring the use of Learning Assistants (LAs) in classrooms to enhance student learning outcomes. This work centers on implementing best practices and innovative pedagogical techniques in chemical education, particularly utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) to improve engagement and comprehension in chemistry.

Education

  • Ph.D. Organic Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, 6/2009
  • B.S. Chemistry: Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, 6/2000
    • Andrew Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Conservation Science, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 06/2009 – 08/2010

  • Book Chapters

    • Broyer, R. M. (2019). Use of Multi-Media Tools in the Chemistry Classroom to Foster Student Participation. Videos in Chemistry Education: Applications of Int (Vol. 1325) pp. 69-85. Oxford University Press.
    • Maynard, H. D., Broyer, R. M., Kolodziej, C. M. (2009). Protein and Peptide Conjugation to Polymers and Surfaces Using Oxime Chemistry. Click Chemistry for Biotechnology and Materials Sc pp. 53-68. Wiley STM.

    Journal Article

    • Broyer, R. M., Miller, K., Ramachandran, S., Fu, S., Howell, K., Cutchin, S. Using Virtual Reality to Demonstrate Glove Hygiene in Introductory Chemistry Laboratories,. J Chem Educ ASAP 2020
    • Assadieskandar, A., Rezende Miranda, R., Broyer, R. M. Visually Tracking of Acid-Base Extractions Using Colorful Compounds. Journal Chem Educ 97 (5) 2020:1402-1405
    • Broyer, R. M., Parr, J. (2019). AcademiNext: Mentoring the Next Generation of Chemistry Faculty. J. Chem Educ. Vol. 96 (11), pp. 2403-2409.
    • Kolodziej, C. M., Kim, S., Broyer, R. M., Saxer, S. S., Decler, C. G., Maynard, H. D. (2012). Combination of Integrin-Binding Peptide and Growth Factor Promotes Cell Adhesion on Electron-Beam-Fabricated Patterns. Journal of the American Chemical Society. Vol. 134 (247-255)
    • Christman, K. C., Broyer, R. M., Schopf, E., Kolodziej, C. M., Chen, Y., Maynard, H. D. (2011). Protein Nanopatterns by Oxime Bond Formation. Langmuir. Vol. 27 (4), pp. 1415-1418.
    • Broyer, R. M., Grover, G. N., Maynard, H. D. (2011). Emerging Synthetic Techniques for Protein-Polymer Conjugations. Chemical Communications.
    • Broyer, R. M., Schopf, E., Kolodziej, C. M., Chen, Y., Maynard, H. D. (2011). Dual Click reactions to micropattern proteins. Soft Matter. Vol. 7, pp. 9972-9977.
    • Schopf, E., Broyer, R. M., Tao, L., Maynard, H. D., Chen, Y. (2009). Directed Carbon Nanotube Assembly Using a Pyrene Functionalized Polymer. Chemical Communications. pp. 4818-4820.
    • Christman, K. L., Schopf, E., Broyer, R. M., Li, R. C., Chen, Y., Maynard, H. D. (2009). Positioning Multiple Proteins at the Nanoscale with Electron Beam Cross-Linked Functional Polymers. Journal of the American Chemical Society. Vol. 131 (2), pp. 521-527.
    • Broyer, R. M., Quaker, G. M., Maynard, H. D. (2008). Designed amino acid ATRP initiators for the synthesis of biohybrid materials. Journal of the American Chemical Society. Vol. 130 (32007/12/29), pp. 1041-7.
    • Christman, K. L., Vazquez-Dorbatt, V., Schopf, E., Kolodziej, C. M., Li, R. C., Broyer, R. M., Chen, Y., Maynard, H. D. (2008). Nanoscale Growth Factor Patterns by Immobilization on a Heparin-Mimicking Polymer. Journal of the American Chemical Society. Vol. 130 (49), pp. 16585-16591.
    • Christman, K. L., Broyer, R. M., Tolstyka, Z. P., Maynard, H. D. (2007). Site-specific protein immobilization through N-terminal oxime linkages. Journal of Materials Chemistry. Vol. 17 (19), pp. 2021-2027.
    • Li, R. C., Broyer, R. M., Maynard, H. D. (2006). Well-defined polymers with acetal side chains as reactive scaffolds synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization. Journal of Polymer Science, Part A: Polymer Chemistry. Vol. 44 (17), pp. 5004-5013.

  • Committees

    • Member,
      Joint Provost/Senate Sustainability Committee, 2018-2019
    • Member, Dornsife Faculty Council, 05/01/2016 – 08/01/2018
    • Member, Academic Senate (Dornsife Representative), 05/01/2016 – 08/01/2018

    Other Service to the University

    • USC Coaching Corps Faculty Advisor, 10/2018 –
    • USC Community Health Connection Faculty Advisor, 08/15/2017 –
    • Faculty Advisor to USC Society of Cosmetic Chemists, 01/01/2017 –
    • USC Peaks and Professors Faculty Advisor
      , 07/2013 –
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