Teaching.
The unique design of our classroom allows me to engage directly with small groups of students during ~50% of the lecture period. Here, I’m challenging students to think about how chloride conductance exerts shunting inhibition during a post-synaptic potential.
It is important to me that students are familiar with the idea that scientific ideas can be represented using data. Here, one of my rising 8th graders is looking at spectroscopy data and learning about astrochemistry.
Our classroom is set up with 14 tables of 5-6 students. Each table is equipped with a whiteboard and a projection screen, and each student station has a laptop computer.
Experience
I spent the second half of my time in college studying science education. Although I decided to ultimately pursue a career in science, I continue to believe wholeheartedly in the value of education and scientific literacy.
Since 2011, I have been involved with three different undergraduate human physiology courses, one introductory biochemistry course, and one introductory biology course. I have also taught 8th grade science, high school introductory biology and ESL biology, and a one-semester practicum with high school biotechnology. I also enjoyed tutoring1 a range of STEM and world language subjects, as well as pre-college and graduate test prep.
Teaching Philosophy
I believe that every student deserves the opportunity to be successful in my courses, at my institution, and beyond. I value learning spaces that require active engagement with instructors and among students. Because science is empirical process, it is important to me that my students think critically about physiology beyond a service-level understanding, using data-based representations of core concepts.
Current
I most recently served as the lecturer for an undergraduate introductory human physiology course at the University of Wisconsin. With the leadership of Dr. Janet Branchaw, Director of WISCIENCE and Associate Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin, this course was created in the spirit of teaching physiology in active learning environment.
The course is taught in a WisCEL classroom, where students work at pods in small groups. Each 75-minute class period is a mixture of mini-lectures and learning workshops, where students engage on computers, white boards, and with dedicated activities designed to engage crticial thinking skills.
1I've loved the time I've spent tutoring, from introductory algebra to the medical school admissions test. But, in my time tutoring, it became apparent to me that access to high-quality paid tutoring contributes extensively to inequitable outcomes for students; for this reason I no longer participate in paid tutoring.