Dr. Allison Soult has been a member of the University of Kentucky faculty since 2002. For the past 10 years, she has served as director of general chemistry, helping ensure a consistent experience for students across multiple sections of introductory chemistry courses.

She developed and teaches CHE 185 and CHE 187, courses designed to support students who are struggling in general chemistry lectures and help prepare them for success in future chemistry courses.

In addition, Soult teaches dual-credit courses for Kentucky high school students, allowing them to earn University of Kentucky credit before graduating from high school.

With support from colleagues at the University of Kentucky and institutions across the state, Soult served as chair of the 2024 Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, which brought approximately 1,500 high school and college educators, graduate students and industry representatives from across the United States and around the world to the University of Kentucky campus.

Dr. Anju Duley joined the department in Spring 2025 and primarily teaches general chemistry courses. She incorporates active learning strategies in the classroom to enhance student engagement and learning.

Her goal is to help students become self-directed learners and develop skills that would benefit them not only academically but throughout their lives.

After a brief interactive lecture in her class, students work in groups in an active learning environment to solve a set of problems. These active learning sessions are designed to promote critical thinking and encourage collaborative learning through peer-to-peer interactions.

Each student group in her class is supported by a dedicated peer leader. They assist students with problem-solving and offer immediate feedback, which allows students to clarify misconceptions as they arise.

Because learning interns often relate closely to students’ experiences, they foster a supportive peer-to-peer learning environment and can adapt explanations to different learning styles.

Peer leaders register for a 2-credit hour course (CHE 399) to gain a variety of valuable skills and experiences from participating in a class.

Dr. Kim Woodrum is a senior lecturer who has taught general chemistry at the University of Kentucky for more than three decades.

She uses a flipped-classroom approach in which students watch professionally produced lecture videos and take notes before attending class. This format allows students to pause, reflect and review material as needed to strengthen their understanding of key concepts.

During class, students bring their notes and work collaboratively in groups of four to complete activities designed to reinforce course concepts, address common misconceptions and develop analytical and problem-solving skills.

To support this approach in large-enrollment courses, Woodrum mentors six to eight trained undergraduate peer leaders in each class. These peer leaders assist students during group work and help facilitate discussion and learning.

Students serving as peer leaders earn course credit through CHE 399 and often deepen their own understanding of chemistry through the experience. Many also report that serving as a peer leader helps prepare them for professional school entrance exams, including the MCAT.

Dr. Joshua Owen is a senior lecturer who teaches courses across the chemistry curriculum, including general chemistry, organic chemistry and survey courses for majors, nonmajors and pre-health students.

In addition to his classroom teaching, Owen supervises and mentors graduate teaching assistants, providing guidance and support to help ensure effective instruction in general chemistry recitation sections.

Dr. Nunez has served as a lecturer in general chemistry at the University of Kentucky since fall 2018, teaching CHE 105, CHE 107, CHE 109 and CHE 110.

His instructional approach is based on active learning, with students engaging with carefully prepared lecture videos before class and dedicating class time to structured problem-solving activities that reinforce core concepts and strengthen analytical skills.

Nunez works closely with a team of high-performing undergraduate assistants who provide targeted support during class and help ensure all students can participate meaningfully in the learning process.

He is a strong advocate for student success, emphasizing accessibility, responsiveness and sustained academic support as core elements of his teaching philosophy.

Dr. Ashley Steelman is a senior lecturer at the University of Kentucky. She earned her bachelor's degree from Western Kentucky University and her Ph.D. from the University of Alabama.

At UK, she teaches Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry II.

Steelman is a strong advocate for active learning and designs her courses to emphasize student participation and engagement. She believes self-directed, self-motivated learning is essential to student success both in and beyond the classroom.

Beyond teaching, Steelman is actively involved in STEM education research aimed at improving the student learning experience. She is committed to advancing educational resources in organic chemistry and contributing to the development of instructional tools that support student success.

Steelman is also an active member of the OrganicERs community and has served the Lexington Section of the American Chemical Society in several leadership roles during the past four years, including secretary, chair-elect and chair.