Tag: Graduate students

Loyola’s recent PhD graduate…

Loyola’s recent PhD graduate…

Have you met Dr. Binaku?

Katrina Binaku, also known as Dr. Binaku, graduated last spring from Loyola University Chicago and received her PhD in Chemistry.  She was my General Chemistry Teacher Assistant freshman year.  She was always very helpful and nice, and I was lucky enough to bump into her last week.  She told me about her dissertation and work experience at Loyola, but was very relieved to be done.  A PhD, the highest degree awarded by a graduate school, is not an easy breeze.  Through her experience and her research at Loyola, she had to spend endless evenings and nights running experiments that sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t.  Chemistry is a lot of trial and error, and while it may be frustrating, Dr. Binaku expressed how rewarding it is!

As an undergraduate student she worked in industry, but decided on Loyola’s graduate program and worked alongside Dr. Shmeling, a Loyola professor.  Therefore, it comes to no surprise that she joined the Loyola team and is now a laboratory instructor for all the freshman laboratories.  Her smile and amazing personality make her an outstanding instructor, and I’m so glad to have witnessed her growth from a graduate student to a professional instructor.  I am sure you will see more of Dr. Binaku and her future research.  Keep an eye out…