Teaching

High School Teaching

From 2018-2022, I was a full-time teacher at a Title I high school. Courses taught included Intro to Biology, Medical Biology, Zoology, and AP Biology. I led and developed Next Generation Science Standards-aligned inquiry-based curriculum across grade levels. During this time, I also participated in the NSF teacher research program, where I conducted research at the University of California Riverside and used the findings to build a data-driven learning unit. As a faculty member, I served on the advisory board for the HEAL medical pathway, was the faculty advisor for the National Honor Society, and was the founder and advisor of the Intersectional Feminists Club.

Intro to biology students assemble "ecospheres"- self-sustaining ecosystems in a jar

Me and Zoology students after a lab practical!

Members of the Intersectional Feminists club pose after our winter fundraiser

Zoology students perform a dogfish shark dissection and find shark pups!

Zoology students observe and sketch preserved specimens in a lesson about taxonomical classification

Students take a field trip to a local aquarium

Intro to biology students sketch model food webs using common household food items

Medical biology students present their final projects on California ecosystems. Each student had to research, assemble, and present information on food webs, trophic pyramids, and an ecological disturbance impacting their ecosystem

Undergraduate Student Mentorship

As a PhD student I have had the pleasure to mentor the following undergraduate researchers.

2024-2025

Isabelle Fisher | NSF REU | Biology Major | Liberal Arts Minor | Home Institution: Ohio Northern University
Samantha Gaines | NSF REU | Zoology Major | Home Institution: Miami University Oxford
Mary Defrees | URA | Environmental Biology/ Zoology Major | Marine Ecosystem Management and Environmental and Sustainability Studies Minor | Home Institution: Michigan State University & Lyman Briggs Honors College
Nicole Magerkurth | URA | Zoology Major | Michigan State University
Kayla Mizell | URA | Zoology Major | Environmental and Sustainability Studies Minor | Michigan State University & Lyman Briggs Honors College
Mayleen Perez | URA | Environmental Biology / Zoology Major | Michigan State University
India Taylor | URA | Zoology Major | Creative Writing Minor | Michigan State University

Me and Isabelle after checking turtle traps

Isabelle taking morphometrics of an adult female painted turtle

Samantha holding a Blanding's Turtle to mark for long-term monitoring

Me and students Samantha, Kyra, and Isabelle after completing a transect for nesting painted turtles

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse