Current Members
Dr. Alena Moon
Alena went to a tiny college in Arkansas, John Brown University, to study chemistry. She completed her PhD with Marcy Towns at Purdue University and a postdoc with Ginger Shultz and Anne Gere at the University of Michigan before beginning her independent career at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She recently made the big jump out of the Big Ten to the University of North Texas. At UNT, her group studies how students develop what is considered to be critical concepts and practices (i.e. light-matter interactions and science practices).
John Zhou
John graduated with a BA in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a BA in Chemistry from University of Missouri in St. Louis. He joined the Moon group after completing his MS degree in Chemistry at University of Missouri in Kansas City. He is currently a fourth year graduate student investigating how organic chemistry students' engage in science practices. After he is done collecting his degrees, he hopes to continue his stay in academia as a professor. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, instilling curiosity in his two year old and teaching her how to human.
Haiyan Alfulaiti
Haiyan got his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2021. Haiyan joined the Moon group in September 2018. His work as an undergrad consisted of developing and testing assessments for general chemistry students. Now, he is pursuing his PhD at the University of North Texas, and his research focuses on developing models of cognition for students’ understanding light and light-matter interactions. Haiyan loves camping and hiking, and he enjoys playing his Arabic instrument: The Oud.
Mary Tess Urbanek
Mary Tess is from a small, rural town in Iowa called Roland. She attended Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri, where she earned a BS in Chemistry with a minor in psychology. During her time at Northwest, she was accepted into a NSF REU program where she connected with the Moon Group, fell in love with chemistry education research, and subsequently joined the lab. Her work now focuses on how students manage scientific uncertainty. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her pets, read, watch bad reality TV, and be with friends and family!
Matthew Breuer
Matthew Breuer is from Cannon Falls, Minnesota. He obtained a BS in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2020 and a MS in Chemistry from the University of Iowa in 2022. His chemistry subdiscipline of emphasis is organic chemistry. His specific research focuses on undergraduate organic chemistry students' epistemic cognition as they engage in science practices when doing an organic chemistry-based peer review activity. When not working, Matt is either with his cat, Gordińa, looking for food that is listed as Celiac friendly, or watching a horror film at the movie theatre!
Leah Zohner
Leah Zohner graduated with a M.S. in chemistry from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2011 to pursue her love of teaching. To become certified to teach in the state of Nebraska, Leah earned her M.A. in science teaching also from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For 11 years, she taught high school chemistry in the Omaha and Lincoln areas. In the fall of 2022, Leah acquired a position overseeing the organic labs and serving as a lecturer for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is excited to be a part of the Moon group and continue pursuing her PhD as she studies student self-efficacy in science practices. In what little free time she has, she loves to travel, fish, play and watch volleyball, be an avid Huskers fan, and keep up with her husband, three boys, and family frog.
Sophie Ntipouna
Sophie Nitpouna is a 2024 graduate from Louisiana State University. She graduated with her BS in Chemistry with a Mathematics minor. In addition to her degree, she is also Level 1 teaching certified in chemistry for grades 6 to 12. During her time at LSU, Sophie enjoyed teaching and tutoring our youth in chemistry and math. She began working on her PhD in the Moon Group in 2024 and is excited to continue her research experience at UNT. In her free time, Sophie enjoys traveling, reading, catching a film, and spending time with family and friends!
Moses Liong
Moses is from Malaysia and is an undergraduate at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln majoring in chemistry and secondary education in biology. He aspires to become a science teacher and is also interested in pursuing research in science education. On this research team, Moses is working on understanding how students manage uncertainty in their scientific learning. Fun fact: he speaks four languages!
