Diana Shem earned her B.S. in Biochemistry at San Francisco State University in California. She continued studying Chemistry at SFSU and later earned a M.S. in Chemistry. Her research work was published in 2004 in the peer-reviewed Bioorganic Journal. Since 2004, this work has been cited by other researchers in multiple peer-reviewed journals. In 2011, her Master's Thesis was published as a book. While a graduate student at SFSU, Diana taught undergraduate General Chemistry Lab. She was known for her attention to detail, making sure students learned how to properly keep a lab notebook and use laboratory equipment for experiments. She later taught homework help sessions for General Physical Chemistry where she was also the grader for the course. Many of her students credit her for giving detailed explanations of complex theory and encouragement to learn rather than memorize equations. As a result of the frustrations of many of her Physical Chemistry students, struggling to learn the computation software Mathematica, Diana wrote Chemistry in Mathematica. This book series offers step-by-step instructions on how to use Mathematica software to solve complex Physical Chemistry homework problems. This book series has also benefited students taking Physics and Calculus. Many online tutoring and homework help sites direct their students to Diana's website for downloads. Despite her success as a research scientist, Diana decided to pursue a career as an educator and was accepted into the #2 Graduate School of Education in the United States: Stanford University. As a masters degree student in the Science Education program, Diana learned to design custom Chemistry curriculum using visuals with an emphasis on critical thinking and vocabulary. Those lessons were also adapted to be made accessible for English Language Learners. After she earned her M.A. in Education from Stanford, Diana continued her studies at the University of Montana as a Chemistry Education Fellow. She observed how Peer-Led Team Learning can be used in General Chemistry so that large auditoriums of students can learn in small groups. After moving back to California, Diana has been helping educate children in grades 3-12. She started writing the Chemistry Atlas while tutoring local students who wanted a chance at higher education. Students she have tutored in Chemistry have used this book to guide their understanding of fundamental Chemistry concepts. Many have not only graduated from the University of California system but have gone on to graduate school and careers in medicine and STEM. The Chemistry Atlas as a whole is not available for purchase but can be viewed for free on her YouTube Channel. Each chapter is broken down into short 3-5 minute videos. Videos are being uploaded weekly so subscribe to get access to new content. Additionally, Diana is designing visual math lessons for elementary students. Samples of this work can also be found on her YouTube Channel.

My teaching methods emphasize artistic skills, creativity, critical thinking, and leadership, balancing the instructional method of giving information via short lectures and handouts with activities that require group work. This approach to instruction has helped me realize that there are "hidden" abilities in many of my students who may not be great at reading/writing/computing. I find it eye-opening to discover these hidden talents of my students, and I feel a sense of responsibility to allow the entire class an opportunity to show me how smart they are.

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