Meet Our Faculty

Faculty- Department of Physical Sciences

Karen Alessi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
Location: LAS Building, Office 156
Office Phone: (702) 992-2052
Email: Karen.Alessi@nsc.nevada.edu

Dr. Alessi loves teaching science and sharing her knowledge, because it allows her to assist students with their intellectual growth. Her teaching philosophy is the phrase "walk a mile in my shoes." She will never forget that she was once a student, struggling with these same topics, facing daily frustration while trying to comprehend and apply the knowledge she was gaining. She considers herself a mentor for all her students. One thing she tries to impress upon her students is that science is all around, throughout history, in the building of architectural feats, in the history of medicine, in art from the chemical composition of paints to the restoration of artworks. Studying science allows us to better appreciate our lives because we can better understand our history.

Dr. Alessi is originally from New York City, which is easily ascertained when she speaks. As an undergraduate at Marymount Manhattan College, she could not decide whether to continue with her lifelong goal of becoming a doctor, or be persuaded by her family to obtain a business degree. She tried to meet both goals by obtaining a B.S. in chemistry & biology with a minor in math as well as completing various business courses. While completing her degree she realized that she enjoyed sharing knowledge, i.e. teaching, and thus changed her future goals. Her Ph.D. is in biophysical/biomolecular chemistry from NYU where she researched the thermodynamics of ligand binding to DNA. She was a post doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she studied cystic fibrosis. She has had the opportunity to teach a variety of math, biology and chemistry classes at the high school, college and graduate level. Dr. Alessi has also taken a number of education classes. Much of her free time is spent solving logic puzzles, dealing with her toy poodle, and searching for great ethnic food.

If you have any questions, Dr. Alessi would enjoy hearing from you.