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Research Interest

1. ����Vlog STEM Research Group for Digital Laboratory Learning

Since 2020, I have been working with a diverse and interdisciplinary research team at ����Vlog (����Vlog) as part of the ����Vlog STEM Research Group for Digital Laboratory Learning. I serve as the scientific and evaluation lead on the research team. This ����Vlog-based research team also includes: Dr. Jennifer Krill (University School Assistant Professor of Neurophysiology and the Experiential Research Lab Coordinator for the ����VlogHS in partnership with Max Planck Academy, and Wilkes Honors College), Dr. Ozlem Yavuz-Petrowski (Lab Coordinator, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department), Dr. Julie Golden-Botti (Executive Director, Center for Online and Continuing Education) and Dr. Abigail Perkins (Learning Strategist and Educational Researcher, Center for Online and Continuing Education). The research and educational goals of the ����Vlog STEM Research Group for Digital Learning are:

• • Identifying, investigating/researching, and developing novel digital and virtual approaches to improve science laboratory and technical learning for STEM majors.
  • Building and disseminating the evidence-base for best practices in digital and virtual science laboratory and technical learning.
  • Increasing agency and empowering effective laboratory and technical learning in STEM:

1. 1. 1. through faculty: by providing educators with resources and tools to improve laboratory learning, and by expanding modality choices for the delivery of high-quality course content and technical training;
      2. for students: by providing increased access to high quality science learning opportunities through a variety of digital and virtual modalities of delivery of science laboratory course content and technical training.

To date our research efforts have focused on developing, implementing, and evaluating a novel digital instructional/learning approach that utilizes immersive online content (IOC) in the Neurophysiology and General Chemistry 1 practical laboratory courses at ����Vlog. Our aim is to investigate the effectiveness of this digital (online) learning approach versus traditional in-person hands-on learning for students learning outcomes such as key technical skills and course concepts.

2. Chemical Education

My research interests are in chemical education, adapting and incorporating novel and green chemistry as well as spectroscopy-based research into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. The goal being to enhance active student participation and engagement in their learning process. I am also working on strategies to assess the outcomes for student learning as a result of the implementation of such innovations.

3. Pathways into STEM Fields and Student Success

I work closely with faculty from across the College of Science, and with colleagues at Palm Beach State College (PBSC), toward enhancing student success for all science majors, and to establish better pathways for student success in science, specifically chemistry, geosciences, biology, physics, and math.

4. Institutional Transformation to Advance and Promote STEM Faculty

I have a deep interest in investigating and finding solutions for the institutional barriers and structures that prevent women and underrepresented minority (URM) faculty in STEM fields from achieving their optimal promotion, research, and tenure goals.

5. Biomolecular Research

My biomolecular research interests focus on: 1. the development and application of spectroscopic techniques to investigate mechanisms of delivery and uptake of cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) and other potential drug carriers into live cells; 2. the study of the roles of secondary DNA structures (such as G-quadruplexes) in mediating cancer onset and aging in oncogene promoter regions and telomeres. The biological roles of secondary structures of RNA based molecules (e.g. siRNA and ribozymes) in the human body are also of great interest and very amenable to study using various spectroscopic techniques.

Selected Publications

• Elijah J. St. Germain, Andrew S. Horowitz, Dominic Rucco, Evonne M. Rezler* , and Salvatore D. Lepore*, “Teaching Experiment To Elucidate a Cation−π Effect in an Alkyne Cycloaddition Reaction and Illustrate Hypothesis-Driven Design of Experiments” Journal of Chemical Education, 94 (2), pp 240–243, 2017.
• Jing Ye, Sara A. Fox, Mare Cudic, Evonne M. Rezler, Janelle L. Lauer-Fields, Gregg B. Fields, Andrew C. Terentis*, “Determination of Penetratin Secondary Structure in Live Cells with Raman Microscopy” Journal of the American Chemical Society 132, 980–988, 2010.
• David R. Khan, Evonne M. Rezler, Janelle Lauer-Fields, Gregg B. Fields*, "Effects of Drug Hydrophobicity on Liposomal Stability" Chemical Biology and Drug Design 71, 3-7, 2008.
• Yong Qin, Evonne M. Rezler, Vijay Gokhale, Daekyu Sun, Laurence H. Hurley*, "Characterization of the G-quadruplexes in the duplex nuclease hypersensitive element of the PDGF-A promoter and modulation of PDGF-A promoter activity by TMPyP4" Nucleic Acids Research 35(22), 7698-7713, 2007.
• Evonne M. Rezler , David R. Khan, Janelle Lauer-Fields, Mare Cudic, Diane Baronas-Lowell, G.B. Fields*, “Targeted drug delivery utilizing protein-like molecular architecture,” Journal of the American Chemical Society 129, 4961- 4972, 2007.

Selected Awards

• “STEM Articulation and Transfer Collaborative Project”, HSI-Hispanic Serving Institutions - Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) Program, National Science Foundation, Division of Undergraduate Education, PBSC PIs: B. Mercer (PI), M. Rines (Co-PI), C. Judd (Co-PI), ����Vlog PIs: E.M. Rezler (Co-PI), G.B. Fields (Co-PI), $1,199,259, (2019-2024).
• “Collaborative Research: GP-IMPACT: A Geopathway Utilizing High-Tech Geoscience Experiences for Recruitment and Retention – A Collaboration between Palm Beach State College and ����Vlog” Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) Program, National Science Foundation, Division of Integrative and Collaborative Education and Research, ����Vlog PIs: Z. Xie (PI), E.M. Rezler (Co-PI), R. Ivy (Co-PI), T. Roberts Briggs (Co-PI), X. Comas (Co-PI); PBSC PIs: B. Mercer (PI), M. Grasso (Co-PI), D. Hamadeh (Co-PI), $314,841, (2019-2022).
• “ADVANCE IT-Catalyst: Transforming Faculty Gender Diversity at ����Vlog”, National Science Foundation, Division of Human Resource Development, R. Ivy (PI), E.M. Rezler (Co-PI), J.M. Blanks (Co-PI), J. Beoku-Betts (Co-PI), N. Erdol (Co-PI), $249,387, (2016-2020).
• “Vertical Integration of Raman Spectroscopy into the Chemistry Curriculum”, National Science Foundation (NSF) Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science (TUES) (Phase I), E.M. Rezler (PI), A.C. Terentis (Co-PI), J.E. Haky (Co-PI), $199,804, (2013-2017).