Welcome!

I am an adjunct biology instructor in the Biology and Public Health department at Truckee Meadows Community College. I have been teaching at TMCC for about 21 years. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from University of Nevada, Reno in May 2002 and I completed my Master of Science degree in Environmental Science from UNR in December 2018. My research focused on bacteriophages, specifically the phage diversity and host range of mycobacteriophages on different species of Mycobacteria, namely Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 

Currently, I am working on my Ph.D. in STEM education at University of Nevada, Reno. My dissertation research involves work on active learning pedagogy; implementing more activities into lecture courses to minimize passive learning and rote memorization while increasing active student learning and active teaching techniques. The goal is to improve student learning and understanding, student engagement, and student course satisfaction.

I enjoy hiking, kayaking, the ocean, and lake days. I have a Bullmastiff, an English mastiff, and I am a very proud aunt to two wonderful nephews.

From 2014 through 2020, we taught and mentored undergraduate research students at TMCC under our undergraduate research program as a part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education Alliance - Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program where we captured, isolated, identified, and characterized bacteriophages specific to Mycobacterium smegmatis from northern Nevada soils. We also had undergraduate students involved in research surveying the Nevada desert soil microbiome, including the identification of bacteria and bacteriophages present in native desert soil. 

I view my classroom as a community of learners striving to improve. My main goals are for students to feel comfortable and realize that my classroom is a safe space for them to be vulnerable, to ask questions and to participate in classroom activities and discussions because active participation and collaboration with their fellow classmates is where the learning happens. I welcome and encourage my students to ask questions, be inquisitive, work towards innovation, and collaborate with others because that is the hallmark of science.