Dr. Wagner joined our faculty in the fall of 2000 to teach in the General Chemistry Program. He earned a B.S. from Illinois State University and worked in industry for several years as a Plastics Engineer before returning to ISU to obtain an M.S. in Chemistry. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the University of Florida and completed his postdoctoral research at Wake Forest University. Dr. Wagner currently teaches in the physical and general chemistry undergraduate programs and serves as the Director of the Physical Chemistry Laboratory and the Honors General Chemistry Program Director.
Current Research: Chemical Education
Traditional chemistry teaching often relies on instructional sessions where the teacher disseminates information, and students are expected to study and understand it independently. Research shows that didactic lectures and experiments aimed at reproducing and confirming known information are less effective than interactive lectures and experiments that apply known concepts to explore the unknown. The National Science Education Standards (NSES) approach encourages instruction that incorporates inquiry, reflection, critical discourse, and collaborative learning experiences. In this environment, chemistry instructors act as facilitators, helping students construct their knowledge rather than merely dispensing facts and concepts. This transforms the learning environment into a student-centered one. Our primary goal in chemical education projects is to develop and implement curricula and lab experiments that align with the NSES. Implementing the NSES pedagogy has proven to significantly and positively impact student performance and attitudes.
Selected Publications
(†undergraduate *graduate student)
*Mitra, S.; Wagner, E.P (2021). Introducing undergraduates to primary research literature. Journal of Chemical Education, 98(7), 2262.
Wagner, E.P.; †Murray, B. E. (2021). An undergraduate experiment to investigate air pollutants created from lightning. Journal of Chemical Education, 98(4), 1361.
Wagner, E.P.; *Gronborg, K. C.; *Ghosh, S.; Saxena, S. (2019). An undergraduate experiment to explore Cu(II)-coordination environment in multi-histidine compounds through electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Journal of Chemical Education, 96(8), 1752.
Wagner, E.P. (2016). Investigating Band Gap Energies, Materials and Design of Light Emitting Diodes. Journal of Chemical Education, 93(7), 1289.
Wagner, E.P., †Moyle, T.M., †Koehle, M.A., †Lambert, P.D. (2010). How Green is your Fuel? Creation and comparison of automotive biofuels. Journal of Chemical Education, 87(7), 711.
Wagner, E.P., Sasser, H., & DiBiase, W.J. (2002). Predicting students at-risk in general chemistry using pre-semester assessments and demographic information. Journal of Chemical Education, 79(6), 749.
DiBiase, W.J., & Wagner, E.P. (2002). Aligning general chemistry laboratory with lecture at a large university. School Science and Mathematics, 102(4), 158.
Wagner, E.P., & DiBiase, W.J. (2001). Development and evaluation of a standards-based approach to instruction in general chemistry. Electronic Journal for Science Education, 6(1), https://ejrsme.icrsme.com/article/view/7672.
