Erik Menke
Associate Teaching Professor, Chemistry
Dr. Erik Menke was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and primarily grew up on Colorado’s Western Slope. He received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from Colorado State University in 2000 and then moved west to join UC Irvine’s second incoming class in the new Chemistry and Materials Physics (CHaMP) program. He completed his Ph.D. in 2006 under the direction of Prof. Reg Penner and then moved to UCLA as a postdoctoral researcher in the Materials Science and Engineering department at UCLA under the guidance of Prof. Bruce Dunn. He joins the Colorado School of Mines as an Associate Teaching Professor in Chemistry and the director of the CCUS certification program, coming from the University of California, Merced. His primary research interests are understanding aluminum ion behavior in organic solvents, motivated by developing electrolytes for rechargeable aluminum batteries, and developing educational interventions, such as culturally relevant science teaching, that positively impact student self-efficacy and sense of belonging in science courses.
Office: 230 Coolbaugh Hall
Phone: 303.384.2781
Email: erik.menke@mines.edu
EDUCATION
- B.S. – Colorado State University
- Ph.D. – University of California – Irvine
- Postdoctoral Study – University of California – Los Angeles