Biography

2015 - Honors B.S. Degree with Distinction in Chemistry, University of Delaware

2017 - M.S. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University

2020 - Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University

Current research

I conduct education research within the chemical sciences, in which I collaborate closely with undergraduate and graduate students, high school teachers, and faculty both within and external to UD. Together, we aim to create innovative, active learning activities that enhance students' learning experiences. My research currently focuses on leveraging game-based learning strategies and/or molecular visualization techniques to enrich introductory chemistry and biochemistry courses. I am also actively exploring methods to support undergraduate students' sense of belonging in large introductory science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses.

I enjoy mentoring students across all backgrounds; there is no need to have previous experience in education research or to be a chemistry/biochemistry major to get involved. Students will learn about evidence-based teaching practices and have opportunities to develop instructional materials, collect and analyze classroom data through qualitative and quantitative methods, present their findings at conferences and/or symposia, and work towards publishing a manuscript in a STEM education research journal.

Representative publications

Books:

K.L. Armstrong, L.A. Genova, J.W. Greenlee, D.S. Samuel (eds.), Teaching Gradually: Practical Pedagogy for Graduate Students, by Graduate Students, Stylus Publishing, LLC: Sterling, VA (2021). ISBN: 978-1642671612.

Book Chapters:

L.A. Genova, K.L. Armstrong, “Teaching Your Students How to Critically Read the Primary Literature,” in K.L. Armstrong, L.A. Genova, J.W. Greenlee, D.S. Samuel (eds.), Teaching Gradually: Practical Pedagogy for Graduate Students, by Graduate Students, Stylus Publishing, LLC: Sterling, VA (2021). ISBN: 978-1642671612.

Journal Articles:

^† indicates equal contribution; * indicates corresponding author 

K.A. Coscia, J. Fader, Y. Wang,* L.A. Genova,* “Quantum Tiles: An interactive chemistry board game to strengthen students’ understanding of quantum numbers,” Journal of Chemical Education 2026, 103 (6), 3495–3501. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01279

• Selected for front cover art: https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/103/6

F. Dauzvardis, L.A. Genova, J. Rosenthal,* “A reimagined ‘golden penny’ demonstration: A new electrochemistry twist on a classic experiment,” Journal of Chemical Education 2026, 103 (4), 2395–2401. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01614

K. Procko,* J.T. Beckham, R. Acevedo, S. Agrawal, S. Austin, C. Burch, S. Engelman, K.M. Fox, L.A. Genova, P.S. Mertz, R.M. Mitton-Fry, D. Vardar-Ulu, “Designing biomolecular visual literacy assessments: Insights from classroom testing and student interviews,” Journal of Chemical Education 2025, 102 (12), 5045–5058. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00134

L.A. Genova,* K. Procko, C.L. Grimes, C. Williams, K. Cornely, A. Shor, A.S. Greene, B. Bibel, S.V. Kumar, H.B. White, “Glycolysis can be fun: Rediscovering glycolysis as a problem-solving introduction to metabolism,” CourseSource 2024, 11, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2024.22. 

S. Goldman,^† K.A. Coscia,^† L.A. Genova,* “ChemisTree: A novel, interactive chemistry game to teach students about electron configuration,” Journal of Chemical Education 2024, 101 (4), 1750-1757.  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00678.

• Selected for front cover art: https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/101/4

K.A. Wodzanowski, M.V. Anonick, L.A. Genova, A.M. Kloxin, C.L. Grimes,* “Bringing Pasteur back to life: Studying the biochemistry of yeast fermentation through discussion groups and an at-home lab,” CourseSource 2023, 10, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2023.11.

S. Mashayekh, K.L. Bersch, J. Ramsey, T. Harmon, B. Prather, L.A. Genova, C.L. Grimes,* “Synthesis of bacterial-derived peptidoglycan cross-linked fragments,” The Journal of Organic Chemistry 2020, 85, 16243-16253. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.0c01852.

L.A. Genova,* B.B. Johnson, F.R. Castelli, L.M. Arcilla-Hernández, D.A. Chang van Oordt, A.-J. Demery, N.K. Fletcher, E.M. Goud, K.D. Holmes, J.L. Houtz, M.M. Howard, J.J. Hughes, K.H. Jensen, H.D. Kunerth, E.P. Law, E. Lombardi, A. Mazo-Vargas, C.A. McDonald, C.S. Mittan, T.A. Ryan, A.M. Tracy, J.J. Uehling, A.K. Weiss, M.K. Smith, “What is speciation, how does it occur, and why is it important for conservation?,” CourseSource 2020, 7, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2020.28.

B. Fu,^† K. Sengupta,^† L.A. Genova,^† A.G. Santiago, W. Jung, Ł. Krzemiński, U.K. Chakraborty, W. Zhang, P. Chen,* “Metal-induced sensor mobilization turns on affinity to activate regulator for metal detoxification in live bacteria,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2020, 117 (24), 13248-13255. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1919816117.

L.A. Genova,^† M.F. Roberts,^† Y.-C. Wong, C.E. Harper, A.G. Santiago, B. Fu, A. Srivastava, W. Jung, L. Wang, Ł. Krzemiński, X. Mao, X. Sun, C.-Y. Hui, P. Chen,* C.J. Hernandez,* “Mechanical stress compromises multicomponent efflux complexes in bacteria,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2019, 116 (51), 25462-25467. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1909562116.

A.G. Santiago,^† T.-Y. Chen,^† L.A. Genova, W. Jung, A.M.G. Thompson, M.M. McEvoy, P. Chen,* “Adaptor protein mediates dynamic pump assembly for bacterial metal efflux,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2017, 114 (26), 6694-6699. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1704729114.