Accessibility Videos
Braille in Science Address, United Nations, New York, February 10, 2023
Seeing Beyond Our Senses: How I Bonded with Chemistry
Crushing Your Comfort Zone, TEDxUConn, UConn, Storrs, Connecticut, February 12, 2020
As a blind chemist who recently graduated with his PhD from UConn, Matthew Guberman-Pfeffer challenges how we think and learn about chemistry. Here, he shares his deep insight into the molecular makings of our world and shares how he learned to comprehend a subject that is typically taught by visuals in the classroom. Matthew J. Guberman-Pfeffer is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research fellow pursuing his PhD under Dr. José A. Gascón at the University of Connecticut. From research on gold nanoclusters less than 2-billionths of a meter wide to a highly efficient photosynthetic light-harvesting protein antenna, Matthew has sought to more fluently speak Nature’s molecular language to be able to arrange timeless atoms in new ways to unleash the hidden potential of the world in which we live. He has received the NextGenCT and Doctoral Dissertation scholarships from the University, the 2017 Bobbitt-Chu Summer fellowship from the Chemistry department, and the 2014 Learning Ally Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Award, among other honors. Since 2014, he has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles, which have been cited over 280 times. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
Blind Graduate's Marvelous View of Chemistry
Learning Ally National Achievement Award, Washington D.C., April 18, 2015
Matthew Guberman-Pfeffer, a blind graduate student at the University of Connecticut, has his heart set on a career in teaching chemistry. His gifted insights are inspiring to his professors and classmates alike. "Chemistry is truly the central science," he says.
YouTube Comment:
I thoroughly enjoy organic chemistry and I’m blind as well. I truly believe that being blind helped me to do so well in my courses. It allowed me to imagine things that my sighted peers couldn’t seem to imagine. I’m a visual learner through my imagination. Great job!