Teaching

I believe that everyone can learn science! I try to teach science as a process, to develop students’ thinking and communication skills, and to reward care, attention, and quality.

I engage students with demonstrations and group activities. I make science relevant for my students. I want students to understand what science is and how it works. I link class topics to current events and stress the importance of science literacy, critical assessment of media reporting and voter decision-making. For many students, the opportunity to apply learning in nature does what no lecture or traditional laboratory can do in terms of engaging the mind. I create this opportunity for students whenever possible.

Courses taught

Life Science for Educators (ENY 3007c/5160c), Instructor, Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, August 2013 - present
Students learn foundational biology, explore current research on teaching and learning, design an experiment, develop lesson plans, and evaluate credibility and accuracy in media coverage of science.

Morphometrics (ENY 4905), Co-Instructor, Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, January – May 2012
Collaboratively developed lecture/discussions, readings, and assessments for undergraduate research experience course. Students learned about the nature of science through readings, discussions, and presentations of primary literature, and acquired hands-on research experience by assisting with an NSF-funded research project (25 students).

Essentials of Biology (BIO 105), Instructor, Department of Biology, Westminster College, Moberly, MO, August – December 2010
Developed syllabus, lectures, and assessments for Introduction to Biology (non-majors) (19 students)

Guest lectures

• ‘Why and how to study behavior’, Insect Behavior and Systematics, University of Florida, 2013
• ‘Academic job hunting’, Grant Writing (graduate), University of Florida, 2013
• ‘Community Biology and Sexual Selection’, Behavioral Evolution (graduate), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2012
• ‘Insect Predators, Parasitoids, and Defenses’, Principles of Entomology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2012
• ‘Animal Communication’, Introductory Biology (non-majors), Moberly Area Community College, Columbia, MO, 2008

Graduate Teaching Experience

• General Ecology Laboratory (BIO 3650) (writing intensive), 2005, 2006
• Introductory Biology Laboratory (majors) (BIO 1500), 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011
• Ornithology Laboratory (BIO 2600), 2007
• Molecular Ecology Laboratory (capstone course) (BIO 4983), 2008