Women in STEM Fields

Spotlight: Professor Kathleen Nolta!

By: Nora Dagher

If you're pre-med or a Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Biology major, chances are you've had a class with Professor Kathleen Nolta. In a world of weeder classes, competitive students, grade point averages and general all-around stress, Professor Nolta is well known for putting her students at ease in the challenging world of Organic Chemistry. Professor Nolta is notorious for presenting her material in a clear-cut manner, devoting the majority of her time to her students.

A “Professor Profile” in the Michigan Daily reveals that Chemistry Lecturer Kathleen Nolta has never been formally trained as a teacher and took up teaching because raising her children prevented her from being in a lab where she could do research. Nolta states in the article:

“'I took an odd job teaching in Chicago and loved it and just fell into it!'” Energetic Nolta reveals that she considers teaching her only hobby and she's never planned a lecture. As a student in her Biochemistry lab, I can confidently say that it is a refreshing pleasure to have a class with Kathleen Nolta. She makes a complicated subject much more digestible, treats her students like individuals instead of numbers in the class, and knows how to modify her teaching style when things aren't clear.  UMich students — consider Kathleen Nolta when you schedule your next class, you won't be disappointed!

(image link: http://umurj.org/interviews/research-perspectives-dr-kathleen-nolta/)

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