By: Ryan Lackmann '27 and Emma White '27
This year at Notre Dame, our school has had the pleasure of welcoming numerous new teachers and students into our community. It is essential that we extend a warm welcome to our new staff members and include them in our school's community. Among our new staff is Mr. Barry, who serves as the chemistry and molecular biology teacher. We asked Mr. Barry to introduce himself further in an in depth interview:
What subject do you teach?
“This year I am teaching applied chem, for seniors. I’m teaching two sections of chemistry for sophomores. And one section of molecular biology for freshmen.”
How is teaching at ND going too far?
“It’s been a dream come true. I was formerly a research chemist. Then I went to NYU to finish my masters. So having the opportunity to teach what I love to students has been great!”
How long do you plan on teaching?
“A long time! I studied chemistry during my undergrad, because I wanted to become a professor at a big university.”
What school events do you look forward to?
“I look forward to seeing all the sports games, and supporting all the girls. “One of my favorite time of the day is 2:52, because it's when the school really comes alive in a different way. And I get to see the other sides of students, seeing you all as athletes, musicians and artists. Which helps me view everyone from an out of school perspective.”
How did your love for chemistry form?
" In high school, I didn't really enjoy a lot of the other classes besides chemistry. More specifically sophomore year.”
What was your teaching life like before ND?
“During my undergrad I taught for two years. Organic chemistry, and I taught students how to use the science equipment to do experiments. I was also a teaching assistant, for biochemistry, and general chemistry.”
Do you moderate any clubs? If so, tell us about the club!
“This year I am moderating the debate club! I recommend that students try the debate club. We will have some guest speakers come, and it's a great opportunity for the future.”
Do you have a specific memorable moments in your chemistry career?
“My favorite experience didn't come until earlier this year, when I defended my thesis. It was a very monumental state for me.”
How did you get to where you are today?
“Two years ago I packed up my whole life into two suitcases and I moved to central Harlem. Because I wanted to start my graduate career at NYU. Two years later I finished what I set off for, and it was just a flood of emotions. And then a couple weeks later graduating!”
What's your favorite reaction?
“My favorite reaction was during my graduate career. I was working on synthesizing pepeptimno memetic, which is a peptide base. So I was developing therapeutics to treat cancer. My favorite reaction working on that project was doing a click reaction.”
What do you think is the most exciting aspect of science or chemistry?
“How you can turn anything into an experiment, and you can really find inspiration from anywhere. It adds such a large amount of excitement to my work.”
What inspires you the most when forming experiments?
“I've always been inspired by nature, so I will always walk on The High Line, and you might see it as a abandoned subway track that’s turned into a tourist attraction but I see it as a chemistry lab”
What do you enjoy most about teaching?
“I enjoy watching as I am teaching and lecturing at the board and I see a student's eyes glow up. To see as they are able to make that connection from what we are learning in the lecture to maybe their own life. Watching throughout the year as students develop, not only as students but into scientists. That’s something I really love seeing.”
Did you consider any other professions regarding chemistry?
“For a long time I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life, I was in your shoes in one point in high school thinking about what I enjoyed, and that was Chemistry. I thought about joining industry, working as a scientist in a pharmaceutical company, or a hospital using chemistry techniques to help patients. However, I was ultimately drawn to teaching because of my love for mentoring students.”
Do you like to listen to music when you work, if so what kind?
“If you see me around the hallways you probably see me with my big headphones on listening to music. Where I grew up, the first ever music I heard was rap music, so you can probably catch me listening to A Boogie or any other rap music. A fun fact you probably didn’t know.”
Do you have any hobbies?
“I am a huge Formula 1 fan, and a Ferrari fan so I love watching Formula 1 cars race in circles very fast. I am also a huge Pokémon fan, I play the games and collect the cards. I really enjoy video games, my favorite of all time is Counter Strike, which is a computer game I fell in love with in high school.”
Where are you originally from?
“My last name is Barry, which is not a typical Vietnamese last name, so my mother and father are from Vietnam but had the opportunity to move to Guam. From there I was adopted and raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It is only around 30-45 minutes away from Washington, DC, so I would often explore there.
How do you like living in New York City?
“Even though Gaithersburg is very suburban, since being so close to DC, I always considered myself a city boy. Since being here I love it. I love that there are so many cultures, so many different opportunities to meet people from all around the world, and so many things to do here in New York City: from tourist activities to just visiting your local coffee shop.
Edited by: Catherine Grace Polatidis '26 and Ms. Brilliant
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