I pursued a graduate degree in biology because I simply love studying and teaching about all aspects of nature. Although a Ph.D. is a research undertaking, I have made teaching a major focus of my career. As laboratory instructor for environmental biology at WVU, I led introductory-level students as they explored various issues affecting the Appalachian Mountains, including watershed development, surface mining, and acidic deposition. As instructor of the biology capstone, I mentored senior-level students as they conducted original research projects in ecology and evolution. I was also instructor for two general biology courses at WVU during the summers of 2016 and 2017, and learned about online teaching as the instructor for environmental biology at the University of Illinois. Now I regularly teach courses in environmental science and biology at Emory & Henry. In addition to my official duties, I volunteered as a wildflower guide at the WVU Earl Core Arboretum and I am continually expanding my naturalist knowledge. I have a good working knowledge of trees and herbaceous plants, and learned some grass and sedge identification when I was an undergrad. My new challenge is insects (see more about me for some insect boxes and displays).

University teaching is my main passion. Formulating and implementing strategies to get my students excited about biology and ecology is very challenging, but also meaningful and rewarding. I broadly view success in teaching as getting students to the point that they want to come to class and learn, and stimulating them to think about biological and ecological ideas as they interact with their surroundings on a daily basis. 

Obviously, this is much easier said than done. You're never going to see 100% of students from an ecology course go on to become ecologists. However, if they were engaged with the material and see how it connects to their everyday lives and their possible career paths, it helps stimulate critical thought, retention, and learning even beyond the course and graduation. So, my teaching strategies emphasize getting students actively working with the material through inquiry-based projects, hands-on learning, and interaction with their peers.

Teaching experience

Emory & Henry College:

• BIOL 117, General Biology

• BIOL 350, Introduction to Ecology and Field Biology

• BIOL 415, Biogeography

• ENVS 100, Introduction to Environmental Studies

Past teaching experience:

• BIOL 111, General Biology, fall 2021. West Virginia University Institute of Technology, adjunct professor.

• IB 105, Environmental Biology, online, spring 2019. University of Illinois, instructor of record.

• BIOL 101, General Biology, summer 2016 and 2017. West Virginia University, instructor of record.

• BIOL 102, General Biology, summer 2016 and 2017. West Virginia University, instructor of record.

• BIOL 298D, Honors Add-on for General Biology, fall 2016. West Virginia University, laboratory instructor.

• BIOL 321, Total Science Experience Ecology Capstone, spring 2012 through 2015. West Virginia University, laboratory instructor.

• BIOL 106, Environmental Biology, fall 2011 through 2016. West Virginia University, laboratory instructor.