Miscellaneous Information
An Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae & Background Information for M.A.Freitag
Education
| 2002: Ph.D. | Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa Physical Chemistry with Honors (ISU Research Excellence Award) |
| 1996: B.A. | University of Minnesota-Morris, Morris, Minnesota Chemistry major, Physics minor, and Secondary Education licensure with Distinction |
| 1992: Dip. | Princeton High School, Princeton, Minnesota |
Employment History
| 2008-present: | Associate Chair, Department of Chemistry, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska |
| 2008-present: | Associate Professor of Chemistry, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska |
| 2002-2008: | Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska |
| 2000, 2001: | Visiting Research Assistant, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia |
| 2000: | Instructor, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa |
| 1997-2002: | Research & Teaching Assistant, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa |
| 1996-1997: | Physical Sciences Teacher, Mountain Iron-Buhl High School, Mt. Iron, Minnesota |
| 1996: | Student Teacher, Scots College, Wellington, New Zealand |
| 1994-1996: | Head Teaching Assistant, University of Minnesota-Morris, Morris, Minnesota |
| 1994, 1995: | City Maintenance Worker, City of Princeton, Princeton, Minnesota |
| 1993-1994: | Gen. & Analytical Chemistry TA, University of Minnesota-Morris, Morris, Minnesota |
| 1989-1993: | Delivery Boy, Freitag Furniture, Princeton, Minnesota |
Nominations & Awards
- Nominated, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: U.S. Professor of the Year Award
- Awarded, College of Arts & Sciences Award for Professional Excellence in Tenure-Track Teaching
- Nominated, Creighton University Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Award for Teaching Achievement
- Nominated, Omicron Delta Kappa's Teaching for Tomorrow Award
Professional & Community Service
| 2007-present: | Member, Creighton University Faculty & Academic Councils |
| 2004-present: | Webmaster, Omaha Chapter of the American Chemical Society |
| 2004-present: | Member, Knights of Columbus, St. James Council 10895 |
| 2004: | Chair, Omaha Chapter of the American Chemical Society |
| 2003-present: | Lector, St. James Catholic Church, Omaha, Nebraska |
| 2002-present: | Member, Nebraska Academy of Sciences |
| 1994-present: | Member, American Chemical Society Division of Physical Chemistry and Subdivision of Theoretical Chemistry |
More Background Information
My hometown is Princeton, Minnesota, which is a little over an hour north of Minneapolis. I graduated from Princeton High School and went on to complete my undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota-Morris, where I learned chemistry from Jim Olson and Nancy Carpenter. In particular, I had the privilege of learning physical chemistry from Professor James Togeas, whose insightful logic and thorough scholarship has been my inspiration as I continue my studies in the field. I represented UMM at the 1994 NAIA National Track and Field Meet, and left Morris with a chemistry major and a physics minor in June of 1996. It almost seems like a past life now, but I was the Minnesota State Long Jump Champion way back in 1992.
In the fall of 1997, I enrolled in the graduate program at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. On St. Patrick's Day in 2001, Mary Berscheit and I were married in Grey Eagle, Minnesota. In the spring of 2002, I graduated with a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physical Chemistry. The title of my disseration was From First Principles: The Application of Quantum Mechanics to Complex Molecules and Solvated Systems.
Mary and I moved to Omaha in the summer of 2002. In the summer of 2003, we finally found time to (partially!) explore the Great State of Nebraska (and Wyoming). John Thomas was born on January 25, 2004, his brother Joseph Daniel joined us on September 1, 2005, his sister Catherine Rose arrived on December 13, 2007, and her brother Luke Edward was born on June 1, 2009. The kids have happily occupied our time (read: every waking moment) since.
