More info about Undergraduate Research

Courses

CHEM 1027 - Applications of Chemistry​
CHEM 1031 – General Chemistry I
CHEM 1032 – General Chemistry II
CHEM 2201 – Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 2202 – Organic Chemistry II
CHEM X8X1 - Undergraduate Research in Chemistry
​SCTC 1001 - First Year Seminar

Interests

My research is in the area of chemical education; currently, it focuses on active, cooperative and collaborative learning, and peer teaching as means to build a community of learners. Alongside with improving the method of delivery of instruction, it has become increasingly more important to address the affective side of the learner’s relationship with the course. Simply explained, an increased level of enjoyment motivates students and increases their self-efficacy and self-value, allowing them to appreciate chemistry despite the infamous level of difficulty of this discipline’s introductory courses. In return, an increased level of academic success and retention in the field of study (major and minor) is being observed.

Select Publications

“Using Flipped Classroom Settings to Shift the Focus of a General Chemistry Course from Topic Knowledge to Learning and Problem-Solving Skills. A Tale of Students Enjoying the Class They Were Expecting to Hate”, Ramella, D.; Brock, B.E.; Velopolcek, M.K.; Winters, K.P., ACS Symposium Series, 2019, 1322 (Active Learning in General Chemistry: Whole-Class Interventions), 1-20
 
“Copper-doped sulfonic acid-functionalized MIL-101(Cr) metal-organic framework for efficient aerobic oxidation reactions”, Li, X.; Zhou, Z.; Zhao, Y.; Ramella, D.; Luan, Y., Applied Organometallic Chemistry, 2020, 34(4), e5445
 
“Development of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose based polymeric microparticles for in situ hydrogel wound dressing formation”, Pagano, C.; Calarco, P.; Di Michele, A.; Ceccarini, M.R.; Beccari, T.; Primavilla, S.; Scuota, S.; Marmottini, F.; Ramella, D.; Ricci, M.; Perioli, L., Int. J. Pharm., 2021, 602, 120606-120617
 
“UiO-67 metal-organic framework immobilized Fe3+ catalyst for efficient Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction”, Zhao, Y.Z.; Zhu, M.; Shang, H.L.; Cheng, Y.; Ramella, D.; Zhu, K.C.; Luan, Y., New J. of Chem., 2022, 46 (7), 3199-3206
 
“An efficient and recyclable Cu@UiO-67-BPY catalyst for the selective oxidation of alcohols and the epoxidation of olefins”, Li, R.; Li, X.J.; Ramella, D.; Zhao, Y.Z.; Luan, Y., New J. of Chem., 2022, 46 (12), 5839-5847

Biography

2013-2015               Postdoctoral Faculty Fellow, Boston University, Boston, MA

2013                          Ph.D. Boston University, Boston, MA

2010                          M.A. Boston University, Boston, MA

2006                          M.S. Universitá di Pavia, Pavia, Italy / Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Prague, Czech Republic

2004                          B.Sc. Universitá di Pavia, Pavia, Italy

Selected Awards

Dean’s Distinguished Mentoring Award (2019), ACS Philadelphia Section Award for Extraordinary Service to the Education and Outreach Committee (2019)