What if organic chemistry—often the most dreaded course in undergraduate science—could be the moment that crystallizes students' identities as scientists?

For Dr. Stephanie Pazos, that's precisely what happened. Now, as an assistant professor of teaching at UC Santa Barbara and co-founder of a photonics company, she's redesigning chemistry education to give students the tools, confidence, and authentic research experiences they need to discover their own scientific identity—and decide if this path is truly for them.

If you're a research scientist, center director, or educator looking to broaden participation and prepare the next generation of STEM professionals, this conversation offers practical strategies for breaking down barriers, supporting graduate student instructors, and scaling authentic research experiences in undergraduate education.

The Problem: Cookbook Labs Don't Create Independent Scientists

Traditional undergraduate chemistry labs follow a "cookbook" format: students execute predetermined procedures, collect expected data, and move on. While this approach efficiently trains basic techniques, it fails to develop the critical thinking, troubleshooting, and experimental design skills that define real research.

Dr. Pazos recognized this gap when she noticed students entering research labs in their fourth year—sometimes discovering only then that chemistry research wasn't what they expected. By that point, switching majors meant delaying graduation. Meanwhile, students who did want to pursue careers in chemistry often lacked the independence and resilience needed to succeed in graduate programs.

The broader impact challenge: How do we prepare students for authentic research experiences earlier in their academic journey, while also helping them make informed career decisions before it's too late?

The Solution: Growth Mindset Pedagogy and the "Guinea Pig" Approach

Dr. Pazos designed a new upper-division chemistry lab course structured around growth mindset principles and authentic research practices. Instead of eight different cookbook experiments over ten weeks, students complete four experiments—each done twice.

The Guinea Pig Week Framework:

  1. Week 1 (Guinea Pig Week): Students design their own procedures using guided inquiry. Pre-lab assignments include technique videos and scaffolded planning exercises—not definitions and calculations.
  2. Collaborative Reflection: At the end of Week 1, students share results, troubleshoot failures, and learn from peers' approaches.
  3. Week 2 (Iteration Week): Students redesign and re-execute experiments based on what they learned, developing resilience and problem-solving skills.
  4. Final Reflection: Lab reports include a "Plan C" section where students articulate what they would try next if given another opportunity.

This approach prioritizes quality over quantity, giving students time to develop true proficiency rather than rushing through superficial exposure to many techniques.

Measuring Impact: Tracking Technical Growth Over Time

Dr. Pazos is collecting data to demonstrate that depth of learning matters more than breadth of exposure. Students complete baseline technical tasks (measuring 5 mL of water, weighing 1 gram of salt) in Week 1 and repeat these tasks in Week 10. The data reveal significant improvements in precision and accuracy, providing students with concrete evidence of their growth.

This measurement approach aligns with the ROSA Framework's Outcome dimension, which quantifies the depth of transformation in student competencies. By showing students their own data, Dr. Pazos helps them recognize that technical mastery takes time and that early struggles don't predict long-term success.

Key Takeaways

Quality Beats Quantity in Lab Education

Fewer experiments with iteration opportunities develop independence better than many cookbook procedures. "Do students really learn from every single experiment when they're rushed?" Dr. Pazos asks. Her course demonstrates that students gain more from doing four experiments twice than from doing eight experiments once.

Make Failure a Learning Tool

"I learn a lot more from my failures than when something works," Dr. Pazos shared. Her Guinea Pig approach normalizes experimental failure as data, not defeat. Students learn that Plan A rarely works in research—and that's precisely the lesson they need before entering research labs or graduate programs.

Dissolve Career Path Barriers Early

Growing up as a first-generation Latina scientist, Dr. Pazos was unsure what a scientist actually did on a day-to-day basis. "I was just this annoying girl randomly wondering how things work," she recalls. Now she brings alumni into group meetings, discusses diverse career paths, and helps students discover whether research aligns with their interests—before their fourth year.

Organizations mentioned:

How to Apply This to Your Research Program

For educators: Consider implementing "guinea pig" iterations in your lab courses. Start with one experiment repeated twice, tracking student precision data to demonstrate growth.

For PIs: Dedicate 10 minutes of each group meeting to professional development. Forward campus opportunities, invite alumni speakers, and bring students to networking events.

For center directors: Create resources and workshops on diverse STEM career paths—such as academia, industry, government, and entrepreneurship—so students understand their options before committing to graduate school.

Join the Conversation

Thank you to Dr. Stephanie Pazos for sharing her innovative approaches to chemistry education and for breaking down the barriers that once stood in her way. Thanks also to our readers who are making impactful science possible through teaching, mentoring, and research.

If you're interested in discussing how Science with Impact can support the broader impacts of your research program through measurement frameworks, communication strategies, or scaling approaches, schedule a consultation with Dr. Rosa.

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