Rate My Professor Ying Guo

Dr. Ying Guo is an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the School of Science and Technology at Georgia Gwinnett College, where she has been a faculty member since 2015. Initially appointed as an assistant professor, she was promoted to her current position in 2021. Guo holds a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Tsinghua University. She advanced her studies in biophysical chemistry at Yale University, earning her doctorate with research centered on the thermal properties of visual pigments to elucidate molecular evolution mechanisms facilitating dim-light vision in vertebrates. Subsequently, inspired by her teaching experiences, she pursued and obtained a Master’s degree in analytics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Guo’s research trajectory spans biophysical chemistry and innovative pedagogy in STEM education. Her doctoral work contributed to understanding rhodopsin stability and photoreceptor kinetics, resulting in publications such as “Unusual kinetics of thermal decay of dim-light photoreceptors in vertebrate vision” (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014) and “Thermal Stability of Rhodopsin and Progression of Retinitis Pigmentosa” (Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2013). Transitioning to education research, she has investigated factors influencing student success and engagement in chemistry courses, particularly during the COVID-19 transition and the integration of AI tools like ChatGPT for critical thinking. Notable recent works include “Leveraging ChatGPT for Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills” (Journal of Chemical Education, 2023, cited 343 times), “Affective Elements of the Student Experience That Contribute to Withdrawal Rates in the General Chemistry Sequence: A Multimethod Study” (2022), and “Adapting to the COVID-19 Online Transition: Reflections in a General Chemistry Sequence Taught by Multiple Instructors with Diverse Pedagogies” (2020). Guo has received the University of Georgia Chancellor’s Learning Scholars award in 2020, the Yale Graduate Scholarship in 2011, Excellent Graduate of Tsinghua University and Beijing in 2010, and other earlier fellowships. She actively engages in professional development, earning numerous badges through GGC’s Academic Commons in areas such as active learning, experiential learning, game-based learning, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.