{"id":15565,"date":"2026-03-16T13:31:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T20:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/?p=15565"},"modified":"2026-03-16T13:36:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T20:36:28","slug":"bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kat Bay \u201916, a University of La Verne chemistry <\/span>alumna<\/span>, now manages the Teaching with Schr\u00f6dinger program (Courtesy Kat Bay)<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ULV <\/span>alumna<\/span> now helps professors and students around the world explore chemistry through advanced computational tools<\/span><\/h2>\n

When Kat Bay reflects on her journey from undergraduate chemistry major to manager of the Teaching with Schr\u00f6dinger program, she credits the University of La Verne with laying the foundation for a career she never imagined possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was drawn to La Verne because it\u2019s a smaller campus where you get hands-on attention and specialized learning,\u201d Kat, who grew up in Arcadia, recalls. \u201cThe faculty members really motivated me and pushed me to pursue research opportunities I never thought I could achieve.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During her years at La Verne from 2012 to 2016, Kat immersed herself in the Chemistry Department. She worked as a tutor at the Academic Success Center, assisted in chemistry laboratories, and even collaborated with the department chair on curriculum development for introductory chemistry courses. This early involvement not only strengthened her understanding of chemistry but also cultivated leadership and teaching skills she continues to draw upon today.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kat\u2019s undergraduate experiences propelled her into prestigious research internships at Ames National Laboratory, Caltech, and the University of Cambridge. These opportunities, she notes, were only possible due to the encouragement and mentorship of her professors at La Verne. Following her bachelor\u2019s degree, she earned a PhD in organic chemistry at UCLA before embarking on a career that sits at the intersection of academia and industry.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, as manager of the Teaching with Schr\u00f6dinger program, Kat works to bring Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s advanced comput<\/span>ational <\/span>physics-based platform <\/span>into classrooms worldwide. Her team trains professors and students to use <\/span>technology that is backed by rigorous scientific research and development validated by thousands of customers to <\/span>visualize molecular processes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a chemistry microscope on a computer,\u201d Kat explains. \u201cWe\u2019re helping students gain skills they can use in the workforce while also opening doors to scientific understanding early in their education.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Kat, the most rewarding part of her work is connecting students and professors to new technologies and opportunities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love being at the interface of academia and industry,\u201d she says. \u201cIntroducing students to tools and experiences they might not have otherwise encountered is incredibly fulfilling.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kat emphasizes the importance of embracing opportunities during college. <\/span>\u201cTry new things and tackle every opportunity with full effort,\u201d she advises. \u201cEven if something isn\u2019t the right fit, it\u2019s still valuable – it teaches you, shapes you, and keeps doors open for the future.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKat brought her intellectual ability and a great attitude, but also a willingness to give back,\u201d said Nixon Mwebi, chair of the Department of Chemistry.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKat is a prime example of getting out of the university what you put into it,\u201d said Andrew Rice, manager of the Chemistry Department. \u201cShe participated in many extracurricular activities, joined clubs, worked as a student assistant with the then-department chair, <\/span>Iraj Parchamazad, <\/span>and served as a teaching assistant for several undergraduate courses.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kat\u2019s connection to La Verne remains strong. She will return to the University of La Verne on March 25 to give a talk to prospective chemistry majors. She continues to maintain relationships with professors who were pivotal in her academic journey, describing them as lifelong mentors who provide guidance and support no matter where her career takes her.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kat Bay will present \u201cChemistry: The Core of Drug Design\u201d at LaFetra Lecture Hall on March 25 at noon.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kat Bay \u201916, a University of La Verne chemistry alumna, now manages the Teaching with Schr\u00f6dinger program (Courtesy Kat Bay). The ULV alumna now helps professors and students around the world explore chemistry through advanced computational tools When Kat Bay reflects on her journey from undergraduate chemistry major to manager of the Teaching with Schr\u00f6dinger program, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191,"featured_media":15566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4120],"tags":[2034],"class_list":["post-15565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-hp","ulv_author-university-of-la-verne"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science | University of La Verne<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kat Bay \u201916, a University of La Verne chemistry alumna, now manages the Teaching with Schr\u00f6dinger program (Courtesy Kat Bay). The ULV alumna now helps professors and students around the world explore chemistry through advanced computational tools When Kat Bay reflects on her journey from undergraduate chemistry major to manager of the Teaching with Schr\u00f6dinger program, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University of La Verne News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-16T20:31:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-16T20:36:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/03\/Kat-Bay-headshot.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"801\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"asoltero\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"asoltero\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"asoltero\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/bc0606d62d22ed24564718347ceba1c8\"},\"headline\":\"Bridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-16T20:31:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-16T20:36:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/\"},\"wordCount\":591,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/03\/Kat-Bay-headshot.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"HP\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Research\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/\",\"name\":\"Bridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science | University of La Verne\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/03\/Kat-Bay-headshot.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-16T20:31:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-16T20:36:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/03\/Kat-Bay-headshot.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/03\/Kat-Bay-headshot.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":801},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/\",\"name\":\"University of La Verne News\",\"description\":\"Univerity of La Verne\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University of La Verne\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/05\/favicon-48.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/05\/favicon-48.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":48,\"caption\":\"University of La Verne\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/bc0606d62d22ed24564718347ceba1c8\",\"name\":\"asoltero\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab2cbcccecd0122ea1d11a9b7664ad07?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab2cbcccecd0122ea1d11a9b7664ad07?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"asoltero\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/author\/asoltero\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science | University of La Verne","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science","og_description":"Kat Bay \u201916, a University of La Verne chemistry alumna, now manages the Teaching with Schr\u00f6dinger program (Courtesy Kat Bay). The ULV alumna now helps professors and students around the world explore chemistry through advanced computational tools When Kat Bay reflects on her journey from undergraduate chemistry major to manager of the Teaching with Schr\u00f6dinger program, […]","og_url":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/","og_site_name":"University of La Verne News","article_published_time":"2026-03-16T20:31:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-16T20:36:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":801,"url":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/03\/Kat-Bay-headshot.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"asoltero","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"asoltero","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/"},"author":{"name":"asoltero","@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/bc0606d62d22ed24564718347ceba1c8"},"headline":"Bridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science","datePublished":"2026-03-16T20:31:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-16T20:36:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/"},"wordCount":591,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/03\/Kat-Bay-headshot.jpg","keywords":["HP"],"articleSection":["Research"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/","url":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/","name":"Bridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science | University of La Verne","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/03\/Kat-Bay-headshot.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-16T20:31:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-16T20:36:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/03\/Kat-Bay-headshot.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/03\/Kat-Bay-headshot.jpg","width":1200,"height":801},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/16\/bridging-classrooms-and-cutting-edge-science\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Bridging Classrooms and Cutting-Edge Science"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/","name":"University of La Verne News","description":"Univerity of La Verne","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#organization","name":"University of La Verne","url":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/05\/favicon-48.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/05\/favicon-48.png","width":48,"height":48,"caption":"University of La Verne"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/bc0606d62d22ed24564718347ceba1c8","name":"asoltero","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab2cbcccecd0122ea1d11a9b7664ad07?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab2cbcccecd0122ea1d11a9b7664ad07?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"asoltero"},"url":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/author\/asoltero\/"}]}},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-13 21:18:08","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15565"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/191"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15565"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15569,"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15565\/revisions\/15569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}