University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown

Manisha Nigam, PhD

  • Associate Professor

My research is mainly pedagogical in nature, is focused on promoting green chemistry and sustainability education in the real world. My overall vision is to raise awareness of green and sustainable principles and practices within the campus community. I am engaging students in a broad, interdisciplinary manner that will enable them to apply their education to their everyday lives on and off campus and also in their personal and professional worlds. I am also striving to leverage student efforts at promoting the long-term sustainability of the campus community. My specific goals include:

  • developing undergraduate organic chemistry experiments that focus on green chemistry principles;
  • designing advanced-level courses that promote green and sustainability principles; and
  • identifying and chartering green and sustainable projects on campus.

Courses:

  • CHEM 1351 (Green Chemistry and Sustainability) Lecture
  • CHEM 0111, CHEM 0112 (General Chemistry-I, II), Lecture and Lab

  • CHEM 0231, CHEM 0232 (Organic Chemistry-I, II), Lecture and Lab

Education & Training

  • BSc Kanpur University, India
  • MSc Indian Institute of Technology, India
  • MS The Ohio State University
  • PhD (1999) The Ohio State University

Representative Publications

  • “A Vision for Green and Sustainable Citizenship Education at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown” Nigam M. published by Elsevier entitled “Integrating Green and Sustainability Principles into Education”, 2019.
  • “Synthesis of substituted N-phenylmaleimides and use in a Diels-Alder reaction: A green multi-step synthesis for an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory” Bastin, L.; Nigam, M.; Martinus, M.; Maloney, J.; Benyack, L.; Gainer, B. Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews, 2019, Vol. 12, NO. 2, 127–135.
  • “Aza-Michael Reaction for an Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory” Nigam, M.; Rush, B.; Patel, J.; Castillo, R.; Dhar, P. Journal of Chemical Education, 2016, 93, 753−756.
  • “Developing a Holistic Understanding of Hybridization and Resonance in the Classroom” Nigam M.; A Case Study is published in National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, April 2016.
  • “Green Carbonyl Condensation Reactions Demonstrating Solvent and Organocatalyst Recyclability” Stacey, J.; Dicks, A.; Goodwin, A. Rush, B.; Nigam, M. Journal of Chemical Education, 2013, 90, 1067-1070.
  • “Impact of Metal Ions in Nutrition: How a Student Seminar is Catalyzing Change among Students, Faculty and Society in a Small Town of Northern India” Kumar, S.; Gupta, V.; Nigam, M. Chapter is published in American Chemical Society Symposium Series titled “Using Food to Stimulate Interest in the Chemistry Classroom”, December 2012

Division

Academic Programs