Teaching

This course focuses on watershed processes and how are they affected by land use practices. The course covers the physical principles of precipitation, infiltration, evapotranspiration, overland and subsurface flow, stream flow, and groundwater flow, as well as the flow paths and transit time of water and pollutants in a watershed. You'll learn how to apply field measurements and analytical computations to quantify hydrologic processes, assess land use impacts, and identify best practices for managing watersheds. The course is built around lectures, assigned readings, and exercises.

In this class, you will be introduced to common techniques to measure streamflow and characterize stream ecosystems from a physical, chemical, and biological perspective. By the end of the semester, students who have mastered the material will be able to measure streamflow using different methods, interpret hydrographs and rating curves, conduct a basic physicochemical characterization of a stream, collect and identify macroinvertebrates for biological assessment, and discuss the relationship between habitat types and organisms. The course combines lectures with weekly field trips. 

In this course, we explore the ecology of tropical ecosystems, with a focus on Belize. We will cover terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems, their major threats, management practices, and obstacles to conservation. Students will learn ecological fieldwork basics through lab activities and gain insight into Belize's cultural diversity and its approach to conservation. The course includes weekly 1-hour lectures with a 10-day field trip to Belize during Spring Break.

This broad introductory course focuses on the basics of stream and river ecology including a description of the physical, chemical, and biological processes that shape streams and their communities. By the end of the semester, students who have mastered the course materials will be able to explain how water moves through watersheds, describe the chemical characteristics of water quality, understand the abiotic and biotic controls of stream ecosystem structure and function, identify the organisms that inhabit streams and their adaptions, describe the biological transformations of matter and energy within the stream network, and reflect on the relationship between human activity and aquatic ecosystems. 

This Journal Club provides a platform for students to enhance their skills in reading and analyzing scientific literature while fostering critical thinking and collaborative discussion. The course is student-driven, with each student selecting an article for individual presentation and group discussion. The chosen articles cover various water resources topics based on the interests of the students. By the end of the semester, students who have mastered the course materials should be able to:

• Utilize questioning techniques to develop content understanding and enhance higher-order thinking skills.

• Apply knowledge across different disciplines within the field of water resources.

• Critically read, interpret, and present published data from scientific literature.

This seminar is designed to provide graduate students at the University of Missouri who are interested in natural resources with the essential tools for effective communication and professional development. Additionally, the seminar aims to foster connections between students and researchers from the University of Missouri and beyond.

By the end of the semester, students will be able to:

• Describe natural resources research conducted at the University of Missouri and beyond.

• Effectively communicate their own research to diverse audiences using both oral and written methods, employing appropriate language, organization, and visual aids to convey their ideas.

• Utilize resources available to University of Missouri graduate students and to natural resources students in particular through professional societies.

• Utilize collaborative tools to effectively work in teams, promoting cooperation and efficient project completion. Additionally, demonstrate proficiency in utilizing tools and platforms to establish and maintain a professional presence both in virtual and in-person settings.

The course is based on guest speaker presentations, hands-on skills workshops, and student research presentations.