Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering Course (Spring 2022)

Stem Cells, Genome Engineering, & Regenerative Medicine Course (Spring 2021) 

I was a teaching assistant (requirement for PhD degree) for two special topics courses in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia. The first course, where I assisted in the Spring of 2021 (virtually, during COVID-19), was a seminar-based course on topics in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. With ~50 students enrolled from the BME and medical center (Biomedical Sciences) PhD students, the course consisted on invited lectures from leaders in the broader stem cell community. I was responsible for grading weekly reading assignment/discussion text, as well as grading the required R21 draft submissions each student was responsible for at the end of the semester.

In the second course I was a teaching assistant for (voluntarily), I helped co-instructors Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic and Dr. Clark Hung with special topics in tissue engineering and organs-on-a-chip, helping bridge a hybrid course structure to help introduce graduate students to new developments in the rapidly paced fields within bioengineering. I was responsible for helping coordinate weekly student presentations and answer questions related to the assigned readings and topics.

Spring 2019

Alongside fellow then-graduate student Meghan Pinezich, I  designed and co-taught a 1 credit, pass/fail student taught course through Columbia University’s School of Engineering on introductory aspects of biomedical research and key sub-topics within biomedical engineering for undergraduates. With ~45 students enrolled from Columbia and Barnard combined, many students pursued laboratory research in the semester/summer following the course as a result of the course.

From Fall 2015 through Spring 2017, I co-designed and co-taught a 1-credit student taught course through the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at the University of Virginia on Research in Regenerative Medicine (course code: BME 1501). The course was broken down into understanding and approaching research via the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, with hands on activities, field trips, guest lectures, and in-class literature analysis. Students from all levels took the course, with approximately 40 students taking the course each semester it was taught.

I’m extremely passionate about peer-instructed courses, as students truly have the chance to control their own education. Students are able to identify gaps in their own curriculums, filling those holes with their own instruction for future generations. Luckily, UVA had a number of programs to help engage students to teach their own courses; however, I’d love to see this expanded to more than a handful of schools around the U.S.

The methods and findings of the student-taught course were written up into a BME Education-related publication in Advances in Physiology Education.

As a long-time Taylor Swift fan, I taught a 1-credit pass/fail Rodman Seminar (open to all engineering students at UVA) in the Spring 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters; the goal of the course was to give students an understanding and appreciation for the impact singer/songwriter Taylor Swift has brought on music, art, and society. Whether a fan or merely an observer of her music, she has played a huge role in society for the past decade. The course gave student's context of Swift’s background, and at the time, we delved into the then-five major albums she has released since 2006: Taylor Swift(debut), Fearless, Speak Now, Red, and 1989. Each “era” was broken down into influences, music (instruments, lyrics, production), videos, marketing, and tour (if applicable). Approximately 20-30 students enrolled in the seminar each semester as a break from the traditional technical-heavy curricula of engineering students.