Kit Mao, Ph.D., is the supervisor for the general chemistry laboratory sequence at Washington University, where she focuses primarily on developing experiments that enhance and reinforce the fundamental principles of laboratory chemistry. While her reputation within the classroom is well known by chemistry and non-chemistry students alike, how much do we really know about this campus celebrity?

Where did Mao receive her education?

After earning her bachelor’s degree in Hong Kong, Mao studied physical and organic chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduating with a Ph.D. in 1980, Mao went on to earn a master’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where her husband then worked on postdoctoral research. Mao remarks that she didn’t want to go directly into research after earning her doctorate, so she decided to study further. It was around this time when her son was born, she adds, laughing as she remembers how she would sometimes study while bouncing the baby on her hip.

Did she immediately fall in love with chemistry?

“No,” she quickly replies, saying that she initially came into college considering a major in physics, but she was put off by the number of people who told her how challenging the curriculum was. Instead she chose to major in chemistry, a subject she considered the most similar to physics but a bit more intuitive.

Was there something else she considered pursuing?

Pausing, she mentions that she might have liked to become an art major at one point but understood it was not as practical as she would have liked. “It’s hard to make a living, even if you are any good,” she chuckles.

What is it about chemistry that appealed to her?

“All sciences are very fun because they are all so logical,” Mao replies. “And chemistry was the closest to physics, which was what I thought I wanted to study.”

What does she do in her free time, whenever she has it? Any favorite TV shows?

Mao says that she doesn’t quite have that much time to watch television. She prefers mingling with friends and occasionally seeing a movie. “‘Life of Pi’ was a cute movie,” she says. When told that the recent Ang Lee film was just nominated for an Oscar, Mao responded, shaking her head, “Well, I don’t know about that.”

What projects is she currently working on now?

Mao’s primary concentration is in introducing new experiments for the general chemistry laboratory sequences. She mentions that several experiments must be revised and augmented to match the new curriculum Chemistry 151 will follow next semester, where the lab sections will meet every week.

What is the best part of teaching at Wash. U.?

“The students,” she replies, without pausing. Mao says that for the most part she finds the students to be hardworking and serious about their education. Noting how sometimes students can take their grades too seriously, she remarks, “It’s the length of the object that matters—not the ruler that measures it.”