Most chemistry review sessions look similar: a whiteboard full of equations and students hunched over problem sets. But walk into one of Kassidy Rodriguez’s workshops at the University of Miami, and you might find yourself calculating molecular structures in middle-earth or working through problems in the Marvel universe.
Although Rodriguez, a Ph.D. student, has been a teaching assistant in the Department of Chemistry at the College of Arts and Sciences for four years, this is the first year he has designed themed worksheets for students in the college’s Advanced Program for Integrated Science and Math (PRISM) honors program. Each week, students vote on the next theme. “The Lord of the Rings,” “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” and Marvel have all made appearances.
“It started pretty casually. I had just rewatched the movies,” Rodriguez said, explaining the inspiration behind his first “Lord of the Rings” worksheet. He wanted review questions that were interesting; questions students couldn’t just Google in five seconds. “The theme stuck, and I kept going,” he added.
Kassidy Rodriguez works through complex "Lord of the Rings" problems on the whiteboard.
Rodriguez weaves the themes into the review questions and draws pictures on the board before class. During his first three years, he included medically themed problems since so many chemistry students are premed. But the pop culture references have been a hit with students. “They’re much more engaged, and they like the nerdy stuff,” he said. “They find the workshops more interesting and more fun.”
Orlando Acevedo, a chemistry professor for whom Rodriguez serves as a teaching assistant, has noticed the impact. “Kassidy designed incredibly creative worksheets that wove ‘Lord of the Rings’ themes into each chemistry problem, and the students were immediately hooked,” he said. “This imaginative approach not only improved engagement but also deepened their understanding of the material.”
Rodriguez’s favorite theme so far has been “The Lord of the Rings,” but his dream theme is an Avatar-inspired worksheet. And he’s already thinking bigger, planning to incorporate costumes, themed stickers, and maybe even a lightsaber and Mandalorian cloak for a "Star Wars" session. “Or encouraging students to dress along with the theme,” he added.
When asked which fictional character would make the best chemist, Rodriguez went with Legolas from “The Lord of the Rings.”
The themed review sessions have changed how Rodriguez thinks about teaching, especially for first-year students just starting out. You don’t have to overly simplify the material to keep students interested, he has found. You just have to find a way to make them care about it.
Rodriguez’s approach is straightforward: find what students already like, then build the content around it. The chemistry material is still hard. The problems still need solving. But when you’re doing it alongside magical worlds, it feels a little less like work.
