RST Faculty Mentors at South Seattle College are listed below under the subject area in which they most often mentor students. If you would like a specific mentor, you can contact them directly, otherwise you will be assigned a mentor when you submit your RST Application. Biology Janet Kapp, Nutrition, Health and Biology Instructor Janet.kapp@seattlecolleges.edu Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator MPH Nutrition: University of Washington BS Biology and BS Nutritional Sciences: University of Arizona Areas of interest: Nutrition in health and disease; diabetes; Nutrition and health epidemiology; health disparities; and biology education. Ruben Murcia, Biology Instructor ruben.murcia@seattlecolleges.edu Ruben was born in El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America. He moved to the USA in 1992 to complete his Master s Degree in Biology at San Diego State University in California. He has worked as a full-time Biology faculty at South since Fall Quarter 2013. He has also worked as a tenured professor at Palomar College in California and at Rose State College in Oklahoma, teaching a variety of courses for biology majors and non-majors including general biology, zoology, plant biology, ecology, and animal behavior. He has a passion for sharing with his students the important role biology plays in everyday life. His classes are filled with first-hand observations of the natural world he has acquired.

Jessica Kuong, Biology Instructor Kuong Kawai.Kuong@seattlecolleges.edu Jessica Kuong obtained her Ph.D in Microbiology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her academic career started as an international student at a community college many years ago at California, before transferring to the University of California San Diego to complete her Bachelors degree. During her 2 years at the community college, she got to know a lot of friends in various science and engineering field who now becoming successful engineers, business/project managers, consultants, academic researchers, etc. She also has extensive research experience in many areas such as next generation DNA sequencing technologies, Microbiology, aging and cancer biology. She will be happy to offer her insights into how to maximize one's experience at a community college, adapting after transfer to 4 year colleges, and overall knowledge of the science and engineering career options. Last but not least, she is a proud mother of a wondering daughter and will be happy to share her experiences in how to manage as family life and career a female scientist and educator. Philip Benson, Anatomy Physiology Instructor Philip.Benson@seattlecolleges.edu I have been teaching for 6 years at the college level in classes such as A&P Microbiology, Applied Neurophysiology and Clinical Correlates for the ENDT, and Emergency Department Technician. I have a Master s in Education from Seattle Pacific University and have, in the past work for hospitals as Technicians and Specialists such as Harborview Medical Center in the Burn and Pediatric ICU. I have recently begun studying brain-based education and have been working on curriculum and lesson plans to better help students succeed in the classroom. My future goal is to become a tenured staff at a college and do research in Brain-Based education for my Doctorate. Chemistry Jake Ashcraft, Chemistry Instructor jake.ashcraft@seattlecolleges.edu BS, BA (Chemistry, English) - University of Utah MS (Chemistry), MS (Technical Communication) - University of Washington Research Interests: Biophysics, biochemistry, the role of plastics in the environment, environmental chemistry, chemistry education, water quality in urban environments, soil chemistry Hobbies: Brewing, gardening, backpacking, science writing, running, biking

Stephanie (Endsley) Westphal, Chemistry Instructor stephanie.endsley@seattlecolleges.edu BA (ACS Chemistry) Gustavus Adolphus College PhC, MS (Organic Chemistry) University of Washington Areas of Interest: Organic chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, protein and peptide design and structure, NMR spectroscopy, green chemistry Hobbies: Cycling, hiking, backpacking, working with adults with disabilities Kristine Petesch, Chemistry Instructor kristine.petesch@seattlecolleges.edu BS, BA (Chemistry, Humanities) Seattle University PhD (Chemistry),- Cornell University I graduated with my PhD in comparative biomedical sciences with a specialty in virology. I am passionate about the environment, animals, my two wonderful cats, and enjoy reading, dancing, and anything related to volleyball!

Instructor Emily Sprafka Coleman, Chemistry Instructor emily.sprafka@seattlecolleges.edu BS (ACS Chemistry) Hamline University (St. Paul, MN) MS (Chemistry) University of Washington (Seattle, WA) Areas of Interest: Forensic chemistry, organic chemistry, organic spectroscopy, wine chemistry Hobbies: soccer, film (watching), reading, karaoke, wine tasting, traveling Computer Science Sailaja Arungundram, Chemistry Instructor sailaja.arungundram@seattlecolleges.edu Ph.D. Chemistry. The University of Georgia B.Sc. and M.Sc. Chemistry. Madras University, Chennai, India. As an RST mentor, I help students explore opportunities to pursue higher education and careers in STEM. Research Interests: Organic chemistry and bioorganic chemistry, synthetic carbohydrate chemistry, glycobiology, supramolecular chemistry, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry. Hobbies: Indian classical music, playing with my young children, cooking, reading and travel.

Emilia Gan, Computer Science Instructor emilia.gan@seattlecolleges.edu BS (Materials Science & Engineering) Massachusetts Institute of Technology MD University of Massachusetts Medical School Areas of Interest: Bioinformatics, Data Science and Computer Science Education Hobbies: Working on problems from the Rosalind.info site and trying to get everyone I know to learn how to program. Engineering Linda Thomas, Engineering Orientation Instructor linda.thomas@seattlecolleges.edu MS Systems Architecture and Engineering, University of Southern California BS Chemical Engineering, Howard University Areas of Interest: Design for the environment, systems engineering, aviation system safety, materials science, chemistry, corrosion protection and control, occupational health and safety, software safety. Hobbies: music, photography, reading, hiking, and kitchen chemistry Heidi Lyman, Math and Engineering Instructor heidi.lyman@seattlecolleges.edu MS Aerospace Engineering, University of Washington BS Aerospace Engineering with Applied Mathematics, University of Washington Areas of Interest: Airplanes, structures, material science, mathematics, and math/engineering education. Hobbies: Hiking, mountain biking, flying in F-18 s, skiing and math. Rick Downs, Math Instructor rick.downs@seattlecolleges.edu PhD Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington MS Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington MS Ocean Engineering, Oregon State University BS Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota Areas of Interest: Mathematical Modeling, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Oceanography, and Data Analysis. Hobbies: Hiking, Biking, Birding, and Reading.

Chris Boudreaux, Math Instructor chris.boudreaux@seattlecolleges.edu BS (Electrical Engineering) Texas A&M University MS (Electrical Engineering) - University of California, Davis Hobbies: Likes to find venues to occasionally sing, dance, or use his skill as a thespian, and is in the process of writing several fantasy novels. Environmental Science Tim Walsh, Environmental Instructor tim.walsh@seattlecolleges.edu Mathematics Ted Coskey, Math/Astronomy Instructor ted.coskey@seattlecolleges.edu I was raised in Las Vegas and possibly as a result of that, never have played the lottery. I enjoyed the clear night skies that existed there back then. I often was out looking through my 4 ½ inch telescope. One night the city had a major power outage. I had a great time! I have a bachelor s degree from Berkeley and a master s degree from the University of Illinois; both in astrophysics. In addition I have a major in mathematics. I began teaching at South Seattle Community College in 1974. I have taught mainly astronomy and math classes. Over the years, I have been slowly allowed to increase the number of astronomy classes offered at South. I have greatly enjoyed my time at SSCC. When asked which is my favorite class to teach, I respond: All of them. I am married and have two adult children. My daughter has a degree in Law, and is doing environmental research in Sweden. My son has a PhD in Math and is now teaching at Boise State University. For fun, I run, play Go, and watch unintellectual TV shows like Star Gate and "Parks and Recreation.

Ryan Dorman, Math Instructor ryan.dorman@seattlecolleges.edu BA in Philosophy and BS in Pure Mathematics: University of Washington MA in Mathematics: University of Wisconsin, Madison Areas of interest: Logic, Foundations of Mathematics, Combinatorics, Graph Theory, Number Theory Hobbies: Board Games, Cooking, Small Craft Projects John Toutonghi, Math Instructor John.Toutonghi@seattlecolleges.edu BS (Mathematics, with an emphasis in Computer Science) Seattle University MS (Mathematics) - University of Washington John Toutonghi teaches a wide breadth of Mathematics for South Seattle College, from developmental through second year transfer courses. He has also taught Introduction to Computer Science and Statistics. He enjoys cooking and playing tennis. Jian Zou, Math Instructor Jian.zou@seattlecolleges.edu PhD in Mathematics, University of Toronto Jian has taught Mathematics at South Seattle College since 1996. He would love to help STEM major students get ready, set, and transfer!

Physics Libby Schoene, Physics Instructor elizabeth.schoene@seattlecolleges.edu Libby is currently a physics faculty member at South and loves teaching introductory physics. Libby taught previously at Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR, and additionally as a high school teacher in Guyana while serving as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer. As a graduate student at the University of Oregon, Libby worked on research in the area of atom optics, which uses lasers and optics to control the motion of atoms. Libby is knowledgeable about current research in physics, physics teaching, and educational and career options in physics and engineering. She really enjoys working with students to explore their interests in the STEM fields to help inform their educational and career choices. Sean Rogers, Physics Instructor sean.rogers@seattlecolleges.edu BS (Physics, Mathematics) Seattle University MS (Physics) University of California, San Diego Areas of interest: Fluid Dynamics, Biophysical Application, Physics Education, Computation in Physics Hobbies: Soccer, Basketball, Board/Card Games, Cooking, Tutoring Sepideh Hariri, Physics Instructor Sepideh.Hariri@seattlecolleges.edu M.Sc in Applied Mathematics, Iran University of Science and Technology, Iran (2007) PhD in Physics (Biomedical Imaging), University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (2013) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle (2014) Areas of Interest: Physics, Biophysics, Medical Imaging, Bioengineering, History and Philosophy of Science, Science Education, Mindfulness in Higher Education. Hobbies: Yoga, Nature, Hiking, Reading, Cooking, watching movies/documentaries, Philosophical discussions.