Rate My Professor Bruce Heyen

Dr. Bruce Heyen, Ph.D., serves as Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Geosciences in the Martin D. Walker School of STEM at Olivet Nazarene University, where he joined the full-time faculty in 2016. Possessing more than 25 years of experience as a university professor, he teaches general chemistry, biochemistry, analytical chemistry, and introductory chemistry. His academic background includes a B.S. from Abilene Christian University in 1986, an M.S. from Northwestern University in 1988, and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1991. During his career, Dr. Heyen has undertaken three sabbaticals centered on biochemistry, organic synthesis, and chemical education. He has collaborated with fellow biochemistry professors to advance biochemical pedagogy and holds membership in the American Chemical Society.

Dr. Heyen's research focuses on chemistry education, with notable publications including "Design and Implementation of a Tool to Assess Students' Understanding of Metabolic Pathways Dynamics and Regulation" (2021), "Design and testing of an assessment instrument to measure understanding of protein structure and enzyme inhibition in a new context" (2015), "Preparation and Structure of Re2(μ-SEt)2Cl4(3,6-dithiaoctane)2: An Edge-Sharing Bioctahedron with an Unbuttressed Rhenium(III)Rhenium(III) Double Bond" (2010), "Vesicular Monoamine Transporter Substrate/Inhibitor Activity of MPTP/MPP+ Derivatives: A Structure–Activity Study" (2008), and "Ion Binding Properties of the Dehydrin ERD14 Are Dependent upon Phosphorylation" (2003). His scholarly work has accumulated 585 citations. At Olivet Nazarene University, he chairs the Pence-Boyce Research Committee, supports undergraduate research initiatives including summer projects and presentations at national conferences, and fosters student engagement in scientific inquiry.