Tami Sivy

An associate professor of chemistry, Sivy uses her passion for biochemistry as a way to connect with her students. Her excitement in the classroom not only spurs new methods of teaching material, but also encourages her students to reach their full potential. ‌Sivy has updated parts of the biochemistry curricula at the university, as well as updated lab experiments in her classes to make sure they directly correlate with her teaching material in an understandable way. She also has included students in water quality research for public beaches.

Known as a very challenging professor, Sivy engages her students and goes to lengths to make sure they understand the material. A fellow SVSU professor wrote, “I am very impressed with Tami, and I would say that she inspired my own approach to teaching in large part. I could see that she does a great job personalizing her instruction. By my own observation, I can see that she is one of the best instructors in chemistry that I have observed.”

Over the years, Sivy has aided over 30 students with independent research projects, taught two honors courses, is the primary advisor of all SVSU’s biochemistry majors, and has been a freshman orientation programs leader for different parts of SVSU since 2009.

Sivy completed a Ph.D. in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Colorado-Boulder and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Calvin College.