Dr. June Bronfenbrenner
Professor of Chemistry

Office: DRGN 231
Telephone: (410) 777-2269
Fax: (410) 777-2525

Hello! My name is June Bronfenbrenner, and I am a professor of chemistry. The classes I teach most often are CHE 213-214, Organic chemistry,  CHE 011, Introduction to Chemistry, CHE 111, General Chemistry I, CHE 115, General, Organic, and Introduction to Biochemistry, and PHS/WMS 115 Women and Minorities in Science.

Many students find chemistry classes a challenge, but I encourage you to see what this science is all about. The whole world is a chemical place. We, as living beings, are complex chemical systems. We eat chemicals (food), drink chemicals (water), breath chemicals (oxygen). Don’t you think it can be a fascinating subject? Introductory chemistry is just a sample, but a good place to start if you have never had chemistry in high school or think that you took it too long ago. It will get you started and will be good preparation for our General Chemistry class, CHE 111.  CHE 115 is a course tailored to the student interested in nursing or one who wants an overview of what chemistry has to offer.  CHE 213-214 is the course for Chemistry majors, pre-med studies, and several other pre-professional tracks including pre-vet studies.  

On the lighter side, I am the faculty advisor to the Chemistry Club, a student affiliated chapter of the American Chemical Society. The Club’s work during the 2006-2007 academic year earned Honorable Mention recognition  from the ACS. We look forward to another year of activities which will include field trips, speaker events, and demonstrations to name just a few.

I got interested in chemistry when I discovered the periodic table. I remember thinking that if a whole science could be captured on an eight by eleven sheet of paper then this was one that I could master. I have since learned that there is "just a little" more to chemistry, but I was hooked. I went to a small college, New College, in Sarasota, Florida. My area of concentration was organic chemistry. I received a Bachelor’s degree and the following fall I entered a graduate program in chemistry at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. I completed the requirements for the Ph. D. in September, 1981. My thesis dealt with how the shape of organic molecules effects its reactivity, an area known as stereochemistry. I followed this with a two year Post-doctoral appointment also at Johns Hopkins, but in the Biology department.

I trace my current interest in education to the year my son started kindergarten. Thinking back I could not remember what it was like to be a child in the educational system, but I wanted it to be a good experience for my little boy. The "little" boy is now in a PhD program at MIT studying chemistry!  My focus is trying to convey my interest and love for this science to others. Anne Arundel Community College has given me the opportunity to teach since 1994. Perhaps I will see you in a classroom soon.

Outside the classroom I have several interests and activities.  I am an exhibit explainer at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.   I spend alternate Fridays moving  between Dino Hall, Newton's Alley, and  Human Body.  When not grading papers or preparing class I like to quilt and watch movies.  

CHE 213/214

CHE 115

CHE 011

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