Biography

Professional Experience:

Roberts Wesleyan College

• Dean, School of Education and Social Work, 2021-2022
• Director of Special Projects for the Chief Academic Officer, 2020-2021
• Director of Academic Summer, 2016-2020
• Honors Program Director, 2015-2022
• Professor of Chemistry, 2020-2022
• Associate Professor of Chemistry, 2015-2020
• Assistant Professor of Chemistry, 2009-2015

University of Rochester

• Chemistry Instructor for Early Connection Opportunity Program, Summer 2009, 2010, and 2011
• Study Session Leader for Chemistry Students, 2006-2008

Research:

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Roberts Wesleyan College Rochester, NY

Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences Fall 2013-2021

Project: Chemical Education

Subprojects: First Year Chemistry Student Success Using the Flipped Classroom, Scientific Literacy, and Scientific Community Outreach

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Roberts Wesleyan College Rochester, NY

Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences Spring 2011-present

Project: The effect of Salinity on Ascorbate Peroxidase Enzymatic Activity

Techniques: Protein extraction, UV-vis spectroscopy

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University of Rochester, NY

Department of Chemistry Ph.D. Research 2004- summer 2009

Project: Folding of Cytochrome c on the Single Molecule Level

Techniques: Site directed mutagenesis, protein expression and purification, UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), fluorescence spectroscopy, widefield microscopy, confocal microscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, resonance raman spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, extrusion

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Awards and Recognitions:

• Forty Under 40 Honoree, Rochester Business Journal, November 2019
• Darlene E. McCown Faculty Service Award Rochester, NY, Roberts Wesleyan College, 2014
• Barbara S. Muller Memorial Teaching Award Rochester, NY, Roberts Wesleyan College, 2012
• University Elon Huntington Hooker Fellow, University of Rochester, 2008-2009
• Department of Chemistry Ewart Fellow, University of Rochester, 2004-2009
• Department of Chemistry Weissberger Memorial Fellow, University of Rochester, 2006-2007
• Edward Peck Curtis Teaching Award, University of Rochester, 2006
• W. D. Walters Teaching Award, University of Rochester, 2005

Published Works:

• Kotz, Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity 10e. Textbook reviewer 2021.
• Guinn, Essentials of General, Organic, and Biochemistry. 2016-2018. Textbook reviewer 2018.
• Chemistry. Houston, TX. 2015. An Openstax textbook reviewer and question writer.
• McLaughlin, M., Retegan, M., Eckhard, B., Payne, T. M., Shafaat, H. S., Peña, S., Sudhamsu, J., Ensign, A. A. Crane, B. R., Neese, F., Holland, P. L., Azurin as a Protein Scaffold for a Low-coordinate Nonheme Iron Site with a Small-molecule Binding Pocket, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2012, 134 (48), pp 19746–19757.
• Lee, A., Ensign, A. A., Krauss, T., Bren, K., Zinc Porphyrin as a Donor for FRET in Zn(II)cytochrome c, JACS, 2010, 132 (6), pp 1752–1753.
• Ensign A., Jo I., Krauss T., Bren K. (2008), Zinc Porphyrin: A Fluorescent Acceptor in Studies of Zn-cytochrome c Unfolding by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer. PNAS 105, 10779-10784.
• Zoppellaro, G., Bren, K. L., Ensign, A. A., Harbitz, E., Kaur, R., Hersleth, H.-P., Ryde, U., Hederstedt, L., Andersson, K. K. “Review: Studies of ferric heme proteins with highly anisotropic/highly axial low spin (S = 1/2) electron paramagnetic resonance signals with bis-Histidine and histidine-methionine axial iron coordination,” Biopolymers 2009, 91, 1064-1082.
• Zoppellaro, G., Harbitz, E., Kaur, R., Ensign, A. A., Bren, K. L., Andersson, K. K. “Modulation of the Ligand-field Anisotropy in a Series of Ferric Low Spin Cytochrome c Mutants Derived from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Cytochrome c-551 and Nitrosomonas europaea Cytochrome c-552, An EPR and NMR Study,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 15348-15360.
• Chang N.S., Doherty J., Ensign A., Schultz L., Hsu L.J., Hong Q.Y. (2005) WOX1 is essential for tumor necrosis factor-, UV light-, staurosporine-, and p53-mediated cell death, and its tyrosine 33-phosphorylated form binds and stabilizes serine 46-phosphorylated p53 Journal of Biological Chemistry 280, 43100-43108.
• Chang N.S., Doherty J., Ensign A., Lewis J., Heath J., Schultz L., Chen S.T., Oppermann U. (2003) Molecular mechanisms underlying WOX1 activation during apoptotic and stress responses Biochemical Pharmacology 66, 1347-1354.
• Chang NS, Doherty J, Ensign A. (2003) JNK1 physically interacts with WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WOX1) and inhibits WOX1-mediated apoptosis Journal of Biological Chemistry 278, 9195-9202.

Presentations:

• Innovating for the Future in CCCU Honors Programs and Colleges. CCCU International Forum. Dallas, Texas, February 2022.
• Educators are Still Learning Best Practices for Online Classes. Rochester Business Journal Interview, February 2021.
• Advice for College Students Taking Exams Online. Good Day Rochester Interview, FOX, Rochester, December 2021.
• How to Survive Your First Year at College. Guadalupe Center, Immokalee, Florida, February 2020.
• Honors Innovation at Roberts Wesleyan College. Faith Based Honors Program Mini-Conference. Chicago, IL, October 2019
• Leading with Influence. Keynote speaker at the JLU Child Care annual brunch. Rochester, NY, October 2019
• Summer Camps at Roberts Wesleyan College. Guadalupe Center, Immokalee, Florida, February 2019.
• Emily Smithers and Amy Kovach. Design and Implementation of an Interdisciplinary Sophomore-level Course Focused on Increasing Scientific Literacy and Oral and Written Presentation Methods. Biennial Conference for Chemical Educators, August 2018.
• Jason Taylor and Amy Kovach. Introducing a Recitation and Flipped Classroom Approach to the General Chemistry Sequence at Roberts Wesleyan College, a Small Primarily Undergraduate Institution. Biennial Conference for Chemical Educators, August 2018.
• Rachel Graham, Jason Taylor, and Amy Kovach. Supporting Science Learning at Nathaniel Rochester Community School, a High Needs Elementary School in Rochester, NY. Biennial Conference for Chemical Educators, August 2018.
• Katelyn Schultz and Amy Kovach. Developing an Online MCAT Preparatory Course for RWC Students. Honors Presentation at Roberts Wesleyan College. Rochester, NY, April 2018.
• Hannah Putman and Amy Kovach. Developing an Online General Education Food Science Course. Honors Presentation at Roberts Wesleyan College. Rochester, NY, December 2017
• Rachel Hutchinson and Amy Kovach. How Safe is Your Soil? Analysis of Lead Content of Soil in North Chili. Honors Presentation at Roberts Wesleyan College. Rochester, NY, April 2017.
• Emily Smithers and Amy Kovach. Using an Interdisciplinary Course to Increase Scientific Literacy and Improve Oral and Written Presentation Skills (Poster Presentation). Biennial Conference for Chemical Educators, July 2016.
• Jason Taylor, Rachel Graham, and Amy Kovach. Expanding the Adopt-a-School Model to Support the STEM Magnet Program at Nathaniel Rochester Community School in Rochester, NY. Biennial Conference for Chemical Educators, July 2016.
• Elizabeth McNeill and Amy Kovach. Service and Science: Providing Opportunities for Underprivileged Students. Honors Presentation at Roberts Wesleyan College. Rochester, NY, April 2016.
• Amy Kovach. Desperate and Skeptical: Experimenting with a Flipped Classroom. Roberts Wesleyan College Faculty Development Lunch, Spring 2016.
• Katherine Schrenker, Rebeckah Johnson, Pamela Harrison, Morgan Monaghan, and Amy Kovach. Developing an Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory Experiment Based on the Effects of Salinity on the Enzymatic Activity of Ascorbate Peroxidase Extracted from Rice Roots (Poster Presentation). 57th Annual Undergraduate Research
• Symposium sponsored by the Rochester Section of the American Chemical Society. Rochester, NY, April 27, 2015.
• Jason Taylor and Amy Kovach. Examining Criteria for Effective First Year Chemistry Student Placement (Poster Presentation). Biennial Conference for Chemical Educators, July, 2014.
• Rebeckah Johnson and Amy Kovach. The Chemistry of Food: An Analytic Study of Cookies. Honors Presentation at Roberts Wesleyan College. Rochester, NY, April 2014.
• Sarah Phelan and Amy Kovach. A Study of the Physiological Effects of Fad Diets. Honors Presentation at Roberts Wesleyan College. Rochester, NY, April 2014.
• Rebeckah Johnson, Pamela Harrison, Morgan Monaghan, and Amy Kovach. The Effect of Salinity on the Enzymatic Activity of Ascorbate Peroxidase extracted from Rice Roots (poster Presentation). 57th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium sponsored by the Rochester Section of the American Chemical Society. Rochester, NY, April 27, 2013.
• Morgan Monaghan and Amy Ensign. The Curious Case of Ascorbate Peroxidase. Honors Presentations at Roberts Wesleyan College. Rochester, NY, April 2011.

Degrees

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York (2009)
• M.S. in Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York (2006)
• B.S. Chemistry, Summa Cum Laude with an Honors Diploma, Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester, New York (2004)