Sheryl Dykstra

Sheryl Dykstra is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Chemistry at The Pennsylvania State University, affiliated with the Eberly College of Science. She specializes in Organic Chemistry with a focus on drug delivery systems and undergraduate laboratory education.

Education: PhD in Chemistry from PSU (2008), B.S. in Biochemistry from Grove City College (2003).

Research interests include synthetic mimics of cell surface receptors, antibiotic delivery mechanisms, and innovative laboratory curricula. Courses taught include Honors Organic Chemistry Laboratory and core organic chemistry lectures.

• Awards: C. I. Noll Teaching Award (2016), Alpha Chi Sigma Professorship (2010)

Publications emphasize biomedical applications of chemistry, particularly in antibiotic delivery and receptor design. Active in developing hands-on undergraduate experiments using real-world materials like coffee grounds for biodiesel projects.