Teaching Science Through Practice and Participation
My teaching focuses on helping students understand science not simply as a collection of facts, but as a process for asking and answering questions about the natural world. I use active learning, collaborative problem-solving, and experimental design to give students opportunities to engage directly with scientific ideas and develop confidence applying them.
I place particular emphasis on creating classroom environments in which students can learn from one another. Small-group work gives students opportunities to articulate their reasoning, ask questions, encounter different perspectives, and take greater ownership of their learning—particularly in large lecture courses where individual participation can otherwise be difficult.
Across university courses and community-based programs, I aim to connect scientific concepts with the practice of doing science. Whether students are interpreting data, designing experiments, or participating in research, my goal is to help them develop the skills and confidence to think independently as scientists.
Teaching Experience
My teaching experience spans introductory and upper-division biology courses, lecture and laboratory instruction, honors education, and online teaching. I have taught across a range of biological scales, from cellular and organismal biology to ecology and evolution.
Oregon State University
Principles of Biology
BI 221 – Cells
BI 222 – Organisms
BI 223 / BI 223H – Populations
Lecture, honors lecture, and laboratory instruction
Vertebrate Biology
Z 371 / Z 372
Lecture and laboratory instruction, including in-person and remote formats
Evolution
BI 445
Ecampus
College Hill Alternative High School
Experimental Design
A course developed to introduce students to the process of scientific research through question development, hypothesis formation, experimental design, data collection and analysis, and communication of results.
The course emphasizes learning science through practice and provides a foundation for students who continue into research experiences at Oregon State University.