Jodi L. O'Donnell

A native of Hummelstown, PA, Dr. O'Donnell received a B.A. in Chemistry with a minor in Physics from Drew University in Madison, NJ. Following her undergraduate degree, she received a Ph.D. under the direction of Joseph T. Hupp at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Dr. O'Donnell's graduate research focused in the area of inorganic chemistry, with an emphasis on design, synthesis, and characterization of functional materials. She spent a year as a graduate fellow at Argonne National Lab in Argonne, IL working with Dr. David Tiede on developing wide angle x-ray scattering techniques. Dr. O'Donnell began her teaching career at Reed College in Portland, OR as a visiting faculty member before joining the Siena College faculty in 2007. At Siena, she teaches a variety of inorganic chemistry courses, general chemistry, and chemical communications.

My Siena Experience

My Teaching Philosophy

In the classroom, I’m known to be both passionate and tough. I find great joy in pushing students to what they think are their intellectual limits and then watching them sail beyond them. Part of the college experience is stretching your abilities far further than you imagined possible. 

What I Love About Siena

I love to teach at Siena because of the great interactions I get to have with our students in my classes and research lab.  

My Favorite Courses to Teach

My favorite classes to teach are general chemistry 1 and inorganic electives. In these courses, I get to see students at the two extremes of their college career, and I enjoy seeing how they've grown.

My Professional Experience

Current Research

My laboratory research with students focuses on the synthesis and characterization of porphyrinic materials. To learn more, visit my research webpage. Additionally, I collaborate with faculty colleagues on developing curriculum, particularly new approaches to integrating communication skills-building activities and assignments across the STEM curriculum. 

Articles & Book Reviews

• Non-Isothermal Cold Crystallization of Liquid Crystalline Porphyrins
  Soft Matter, vol. 19
  2023
• Impact of the Siena College Tech Valley Scholars Program on Student Outcomes
  Journal of STEM Education
  2016
• Synthesis and Characterization of Thermochromic Metal Complexes with A Near Room Temperature High-Spin to Low-Spin Crossover
  Chemical Educator, vol. 20
  2015
• Chlorocarbon and Alcohol Vapor Discrimination by Electropolymerized Ultrathin Chromophore Films
  Journal of the Electrochemical Society, vol. 160
  2013
• A Computational Approach to Walsh Correlation Diagrams for the Inorganic Chemistry Curriculum
  Chemical Educator, vol. 17
  2012
• Electropolymerized Ultrathin Chromophore Films for VOC Sensing
  Electrochemical Society Transactions, vol. 35
  2011
• Interfacially Polymerized Metalloporphyrin Thin Films for Colorimetric Sensing of Organic Vapors
  Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, vol. 155
  2011
• Solution Phase Structural Characterization of Supramolecular Assemblies by High-Angle Molecular Diffraction
  Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 129
  2007
• Liquid/Liquid Interface Polymerized Membranes Displaying Size- Selective Molecular and Ionic Permeability
  Langmuir, vol. 22
  2006
• Supramolecular Porphyrinic Prisms: Coordinative Assembly and Preliminary Solution-Phase X-ray Structural
  Chemical Communications, vol. 44
  2006
• Permeable, Microporous Polymeric Membrane Materials Constructed from Discrete Molecular Squares
  Advanced Materials, vol. 15
  2003
• Interfacial Polymerization of Molecular Squares: Thin Microporous Membranes Featuring Size Selective Transport
  Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, vol. 734
  2002

Awards & Distinctions

• Jerome Walton Excellence in Teaching Award
  Category: Research
  Siena College, 2021
• Cottrell College Science Award
  Category: Research
  Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement, 2013
• Scholarships for Tech Valley Scholars in Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences
  Category: Teaching-Research-Service
  NSF S-STEM Grant, 2013
• Lab Grad Fellowship from Argonne National Laboratory Division of Educational Programs
  Category: Teaching
  Lab Grad Fellowship from Argonne National Laboratory Division of Educational Programs, 2004
• Donald E. Smith Award for Excellence in 300-Level Teaching
  Category: Teaching
  Donald E. Smith Award for Excellence in 300-Level Teaching, 2003

Books & Book Chapters

• Communication in Chemistry
  American Chemical Society (ACS)
  2019

Presentations

• Sensing of Chlorocarbon and Alcohol Vapors by Electropolymerized Porphyrin Thin Films
  August, 2012
  244th American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania