Teaching
I have 20 years of experience teaching a wide variety of biology courses in diverse formats. I am skilled in teaching core courses, advanced upper-division courses, and non-majors courses. I have also taught in different formats ranging from small seminar courses to large lecture courses to outdoor field courses to study abroad courses. In 2011, I was nominated by my students at CWRU for the university-wide Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
My goal in teaching is to create an energetic, fun atmosphere where students are eager to participate. Students learn more if they are actively thinking and communicating in class. I encourage participation by integrating modern active learning techniques into traditional lecture and discussion formats. Whenever possible, I try to integrate real, physical specimens into lessons, so students can learn hands-on.
I also make a special effort to be sensitive to the specific needs of individual students. Students come from a variety of cultural, economic, and personal backgrounds, so considering the perspective of each student is essential to ensure that a high quality learning experience is delivered to each and every student. I try to accomplish this by being attentive to students and offering them assistance and understanding, within academic boundaries. For example, I might make a special effort to counsel a distraught pre-med student, or consider international and ethnic minority students when choosing analogies to illustrate a principle.
In addition to knowledge I attempt to teach skills, positive attitudes, integrity, critical thinking, confidence, intellectual and professional maturity, and an orientation toward career goals.
I have also organized and performed dozens of talks and workshops outside the classroom.
Courses
Instructor of Record, Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, University of Oregon
Biology of Fishes (BI 457), Summer 2015. I was hired to travel to the Pacific Ocean and teach Biology of Fishes (BI 457) at the University of Oregon’s field station, the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology.
Instructor of Record, Case Western Reserve University
Animals and Humans seminar (USNA 287c), 4 semesters. This is a sophomore seminar course (SAGES University Seminar). Unlike most of the courses I teach, it's not designed especially for biology students; students from all majors are welcome to enroll in the course. Students discuss and write about the ethics of farming, zoos, pets, etc.
Biology Field Studies (BIOL 309), Belize 1 semester, Costa Rica 3 semesters. In this course, students spend 12 days conducting a research project on plants and animals in the tropics. I developed this course myself, and to date I have taught it alone, without a co-instructor. A video documenting the course was produced by a former student, and it's available here: https://youtu.be/4ofpP3eKfc8
Global Change (BIOL 353), 1 semester. I taught this course on a one-time basis to fill in for another instructor. I developed the course from scratch. There were only three students enrolled, so I taught it in an interactive, seminar-style format.
How to Read and Write like an Ecologist seminar (BIOL 384), 4 semesters. This was a junior-level writing course that I inherited from a previous instructor. I taught it for a few years and then switched to the Animals and Humans seminar (USNA 287c) due to the high demand that CWRU has for sophomore seminars.
Human Anatomy (BIOL 346), 13 semesters. I developed a lecture course in Human Anatomy, although I had never taught, or even taken, a course in Anatomy. In this sink-or-swim situation I became an expert in anatomy and the course now receives excellent reviews. It's primarily a lecture course, but I incorporate many lab-like exercises that require students to examine real human bones, a human spinal cord, and plastic models.
Human Physiology (BIOL 340), 9 semesters. I developed this course from scratch. I stopped teaching it so I could teach BIOL 309.
Ichthyology (BIOL 338/438), 14 semesters. This is my flagship course. It's a combined lecture/lab. I developed the course myself, but I based it on source material provided by two notable ichthyologists, Gene Helfman and Bill Fink (Helfman is also the primary author of a popular fish biology textbook). One year, I taught the course in a condensed 3-week May term format.
Vertebrate Anatomy Lab (BIOL 223), 4 semesters. This is a comparative anatomy course in which students spend most of their time dissecting their own shark and cat. I team-taught this course with Dr. Richard Drushel, and I learned a tremendous amount about vertebrate anatomy from him in the process.
Graduate Student Instructor, University of Michigan
Animal Diversity (Biology 108), Winter 2002. This was a large non-majors course in which I was assigned my own section. In addition to my TA duties for my section, I gave a guest lecture on Mollusks to the entire class. I was then was invited back to give the lecture each year for five more years.
Animal Physiology Lab (Biology 224), Spring 2003. I was assigned my own section and taught students how to do physiological experiments on live animals.
Biology of Cancer (Biology 324), Fall 2000. This was my first TA position. My main duty was to grade 65 term papers.
Biology of Fishes Lab (Biology 441), Fall 2002. This was an amazing course. The highlight was collecting live fishes on field trips and learning to identify species.
Biology of Human Nutrition (Biology 105), Fall 2001.
Developmental Biology Lab (Biology 308), Winter 2003, 2004. I was assigned my own section and helped students observe embryonic development in sea urchins, frogs, and chickens.
Ecology Lab (Biology 282), Fall 2004. This was a very fun course in which I was assigned my own section and I guided students on field trips to fields, forests, bogs, fens, etc.
Intro Biology (Biology 162), Winter 2001, Spring 2001, Winter 2006. This was a typical biology core course in which I taught my own lab section.
Workshops and outreach
Evolution Panel Discussion (remote). I answered questions asked by students in a high school class called "Advanced Principles in Natural Science" at Churchill School and Center in New York City. 2020.
Fish Taxonomy and Identification Workshop (in person). Special species symposium, University of Pennsylvania. 2020. See news article about my workshops here.
Fish Anatomy Workshop (in person). Special species symposium, University of Pennsylvania. 2020. See news article about my workshops here.
Careers in Science. Garfield Middle School, Lakewood, Ohio. 2018.
Fish Biology for Neuroscientists. Cleveland Neuroscientists and Innovators Program (High school program at Case Western Reserve University). Summer 2011, 2012
Fish Skin. Case for Kids urban public schools outreach program (Case Western Reserve University). 2012.
Fishing Guide. Society for Conservation Biology annual conference, Columbia University. 2004. I volunteered to lead a group of conference attendees on a charter fishing trip in New York Harbor.
Aquarium Society of Ann Arbor (ASAA). 2003-2006. I founded and chaired this aquarium club as a student organization based at the University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History. I organized over 20 public lectures and field trips and built the membership to include over 80 members from the general public, the pet trade, zoos, academia, and government. Much more than just an aquarium club, the stated goal of the society was to disseminate scientific information to the public. One of the most serious threats to the aquatic ecosystems of North America is the release of exotic species. I partnered the ASAA with Habitattitude, a task force with the goal of preventing the release of exotic species that represents the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, US Fish and Wildlife, and NOAA Seagrant to prevent the release of exotic species. The ASAA ubiquitously distributed the message “do not release exotic fishes” to pet owners (those most likely to release fish) on all of our promotional materials.
Conducting Field Research in Latin America. American Society Ichthyologists & Herpetologists annual conference, Manaus, Brazil. 2003. With the help of my PhD advisor, Dr. Gerald Smith, I organized this workshop that featured a six-person panel of eminent neotropical biologists and drew >200 attendants.
Presenting workshops at the Special Species Symposium 2020 hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.