Rate My Professor Jane Ganske

Jane Ganske is a Professor of Chemistry in the Natural Science Division at Seaver College, Pepperdine University in Malibu. She earned a PhD in Physical Chemistry and a BS in Chemistry from the University of California, Davis. Ganske has held key appointments at Pepperdine, including the Frank R. Seaver Professor from 2002 to 2007. Her excellence in teaching and scholarship is evidenced by prestigious awards such as the 2007 Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence, the university's highest teaching honor; the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Grant in the Chemical Sciences (2003-2007); the National Science Foundation Career Advancement Award (1997-2000); and the Frank R. Seaver Professorship (2002-2007). She contributes to various initiatives, including the Chemistry Faculty, Sustainability Faculty, Keck Institute for Data Science Faculty, and Seaver Research Council.

Ganske's research specializations include atmospheric chemistry, environmental chemistry, physical chemistry, and chemical education. Her academic interests involve applying chemistry to the conservation and preservation of cultural heritage items; developing laboratory curricula in general and physical chemistry; studying the kinetics, mechanisms, and photochemistry of gas/solid atmospheric reactions; and fostering university/high school partnerships for environmental science literacy. Notable publications comprise "Role of gas-phase halogen bonding in ambient chemical ionization mass spectrometry utilizing iodine" (ACS Earth Space Chem., 2019), "Nitric acid acts upon copper: Gas Phase product analysis of a historic reaction using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy" (Chem. Educ., 2018), "Degradation Product Emission from Historic and Modern Books by Headspace SPME/GC-MS: Evaluation of Lipid Oxidation and Cellulose Hydrolysis" (Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2011), and "Detection of NOx in Automobile Exhaust: An Applied Experiment in Atmospheric/Environmental Chemistry for the General Chemistry Laboratory" (Chemical Educator, 2008). Through mentoring undergraduate students on research projects resulting in conference posters and presentations, Ganske has impacted chemical education and atmospheric science at Pepperdine University.