As a member of the teaching faculty at Denison University, I strive to contribute to the mission of the college – to provide students with opportunities to develop their ability to ask questions and seek answers, to think critically, and to develop a sense of their place in the world and how they might affect meaningful, positive change. 

As an educator, I approach each class by specifying the learning outcomes and then designing my instruction and the assessment of student learning with those outcomes in mind. Regardless of what class I am teaching, I have four general goals. I strive to help students develop foundational knowledge and skills. I cultivate opportunities for students to develop their ability to think scientifically and critically about the material we cover (and the world around them). I find ways to emphasize how what they are learning has relevance outside of the classroom. Finally, I seek ways to engage and motivate students to propel their learning forward.

My research program has been evolved over the years to fit the niche I inhabit. I am a cognitive scientist at a liberal arts college, so questions about the nature of knowledge, how we acquire and deploy it, and how we use scientific inquiry to better understand those processes are part and parcel of my daily life. Broadly speaking, I am interested in how people make sense of the world and I have explored this topic using theoretically motivated, empirical study.