Rate My Professor Michael Schmidt

Michael Schmidt is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM), where he contributed extensively to undergraduate education and research training within the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM). He earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University in 1989—dissertation titled "Electrochemical Studies of Nafion Films and Carbon Dioxide Binding to Cobalt (I) Macrocycles"—and completed postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins University. At CSUSM, Schmidt served as a professor, mentoring students and supporting departmental initiatives, including the new master's program.

Schmidt's research specializes in biomineralization, the biological process of forming mineral tissues such as bones and seashells, with a particular emphasis on calcium carbonate biomineralization. He studies the development of amorphous precursor phases, referred to as premineral "goop," and their transformation into crystalline structures via non-classical crystallization mechanisms to explore potential applications in materials synthesis. His earlier work included transition metal chemistry, to which he later returned to assist graduate students. As an educator, Schmidt taught CHEM 300, Literature of Chemistry, since the mid-1990s, guiding undergraduates through small research projects that honed skills in scientific literature, peer review, ethics, and communication. This experience led to his book, Being a Scientist: Tools for Science Students, published in November 2019 by the University of Toronto Press Higher Education Division. The 320-page volume, available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book, uses a conversational approach to cover science's historical and philosophical roots, research ethics, literature searching, peer review, and writing for undergraduate science majors.