Tim Sorey

Assistant Professor, Analytical Chemistry and Chemistry Education

Phone: (509) 963-2814
Fax: (509) 963-1050
Email: soreyt@cwu.edu

Education:

• 2005 - PhD Montana State University
• 1999 - BA Eastern Oregon University
• 1995 - AA Walla Walla Community College

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Professional Experience:

• Chemistry Content Specialist for eMSS Program at Montana State University
• Mar. 2002 - Sept. 2004: Professional Development Specialist/Doctoral Fellow for Centers For Learning and Teaching in the West (CLTWest) at Montana State University-Bozeman, a National Science Foundation initiative

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Research Interests:

The use of analytical instrumentation in chemistry has revolutionized the measurement and identification of chemical systems to the point where most modern day chemists are dependent upon these tools when performing their research. This has also been the case for everyday life in the U.S., where use of measurement technology ranges from digital thermometry of measuring one's body temperature during a bout with influenza to Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for measuring the distance a family has traveled during summer vacation. Because of this, the social relevance and commercial viability of measurement technology has made it a prime candidate for the science education market.

The development and use of any instrument in an educational lab should never precede the carefully planned pedagogical guidelines of the individual instructor who is responsible for their student's learning. In fact, it is imperative that instructors carefully examine where these tools fit within their educational laboratories only after the curricular framework and student learning model has been well mapped out.

Great care must be taken by instructors to integrate these tools or they may be placing themselves on a path that is riddled with student misconceptions and instructional pitfalls. For these reasons, pedagogical support from chemical educators and continued chemical education research may offer insight to the appropriateness of these measurement technologies and their use in educational laboratories.

Chemical Education research must play an increasingly important role in offering their colleagues accurate and precise ways to determine 'good fit' when choosing to integrate measurement technology into their educational laboratory programs.

To perform these tasks, our group is interested in a three-fold research program that includes the continuous development, integration, and assessment of:

• curricular materials and measurement technology that support student inquiry in computer-based laboratories.
• student learning models and teaching methods that support computer-based laboratories.
• professional development models that establish and sustain communities of practice for teachers of science and mathematics on a K-20 continuum.

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Publications:

Book Chapter

• T. Sorey and J. Amend, "A Research-Based Approach to Solving Problems in General Chemistry", invited chapter in Best Practices and Lessons Learned: Highlights from the NSF Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation Program and Other Innovative Programs Around the Country, edited by Diane Smith and Elisabeth Swanson - Montana State University, Bozeman, MT. October 2005 (Submitted in January 2005)

Journal Articles

• T. Sorey, J. Amend, K. Karr, and S. Furois, "Atomic Spectrum Simulator For General Chemistry", Chem. Educator, 2003, Vol. 8, pg. 336-339.
• T. Sorey, M. Nishina, and R. Lancaster, "Theoretical Models of Substituent Effect Stabilization of Aluminum Analogues of Carbocations", E.O. Science Journal, Vol. 15, 1998-1999, pg. 14-18.
• T. Sorey and R. Hermens, "Experimental Conditions for the Synthesis of (NH₄)₂S₂O₄", E.O. Science Journal, Vol. 15, 1998-1999, pg. 19-21.
• M. Nishina, T. Sorey, R. Lancaster, and Y.E. Rhodes, "Theoretical Observations of Aluminum Analogues of Carbocations", E.O. Science Journal, Vol. 15, 1998-1999, pg. 9-13.
• T.M. Rogers, B. Fritz, and T. Sorey, "A Model for Chloride Marker Testing to Deduce Chemical Dynamics and Ground Water Flow Rates", E.O. Science Journal, Vol. 15, 1998-1999, pg. 61-66.

Manual

• J. Amend, D. Hammond, R. Furstenau, and T. Sorey, "Measurements: The Basic Science, An Introduction to Computer Based Measurements", Hayden-McNeil Publishing, Inc., January 2004.

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