Teaching
My motivation for teaching centers around building scientific literacy and inspiring interest in the natural world. I have taught specimen- and field-based lab courses in Herpetology, Ornithology, and Animal Diversity at the undergraduate level that promote critical thinking, close attention to detail, and appreciation for biodiversity. I also developed active-learning modules for a unit on Human Physiology in Biology for Non-majors to engage with a diverse classroom and promote retention of scientific concepts.
I teach seminars and workshops aimed at the graduate level that promote deeper engagement with scientific literature and build essential research skills such as phylogenetic analysis of large datasets with computational tools. One of my efforts promoting diversity in STEM is a series of workshops for undergraduate and early graduate students preparing NSF Graduate Research Fellowship applications.
NSF GRFP Preparation Workshop
I worked with Dr. Julia Fulghum (Director of ADVANCE at UNM) to run an NSF GRFP workshop series for senior undergraduates and early graduate students across STEM fields. I led sessions about the application process and tips for proposal writing, and we organized panel discussions with faculty reviewers and recent award recipients.
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Offered to graduate and advanced undergraduate students in all STEMS fields during fall 2017 and fall 2018. More than 80 students attended.
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In fall 2019 I helped run a virtual session for the SACNAS chapter that my former student Rosario Marroquin-Flores recently started at Illinois State University.
Applied Phylogenetics Workshop
I developed tutorials and led an informal graduate-level workshop on Applied Phylogenetics Methods while a postdoc at UNM. Students worked with datasets and phylogenetic software over six weeks that covered skills such as working with trees in R, sequence alignment, maximum likelihood estimation, and Bayesian inference methods.
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Offered to graduate and advanced undergraduate students in UNM Biology during summer 2018.
Biology for Nonmajors Unit 3: Movement and Physiology
For two summers, I taught a 3-week unit on human physiology for Biology for Nonmajors. I gave active-learning lectures based on the course content written by Dr. Bryant Chase. I also designed several activities to promote deeper engagement with the material.
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Taught as part of an undergraduate course (BSC 1005) at FSU during summer 2014 and 2016
Herpetology Lab
The Herpetology lab sections consisted of specimen-based labs and as much time in the field as possible to introduce students to herpetological diversity and field methods in the biodiversity hotspot of North Florida. We also designed lab activities on conservation issues and amphibian communication.
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Taught as part of an undergraduate course (ZOO4343C) at FSU during fall 2013.
