Teaching

I believe that we, as scientists, have a responsibility to teach the next generation of learners about science. This includes teaching both new biologists and non-scientists alike. I enjoy teaching and mentoring students, and take advantage of every opportunity to do so that I can. While working in labs during my PhD and post-doctoral research experiences, I have had the opportunity to mentor a variety of younger students, from undergraduates to new graduate students. All throughout my education, I was also able to act as a teaching assistant for a variety of courses, which has helped me learn to teach others. It is very important to learn how to teach, and there is no better way to do so than by observing and working with quality instructors. More recently, as a post-doc, I have received a Collaborative Teaching Fellowship with Towson University. This fellowship included both a short course on teaching principles and the opportunity to teach biology to non-majors while under the supervision of an experienced faculty member. While I was the instructor of record for the course and was in the classroom alone, I was able to get a lot of help in designing the course, and was always able to ask my advisor for help, making this a valuable learning experience for me, as well as for the students.

Other academic activities:

While most of my academic activities are focused on my research and teaching, I also participate in a number of other activities to further the cause of science. While a student at Johns Hopkins, I acted as a member of the Student Assembly for multiple years, including one as the Vice-President for Social and Cultural Affairs. This gave me the opportunity to work closely with the school administrators to promote the well-being of the students. I also served as an Associate Editor for the POSTDOCket, the monthly publication of the National Postdoctoral Association. I was a founding member of the SPACE group at Johns Hopkins, which works to promote science     policy advocacy and community engagement. I am committed to supporting fact-based approaches to solving problems in the world, and promoting STEM education for everyone.

Free time:

They say that all work and no play makes people dull, so I make sure to make time for recreation. In high school and college I ran track and cross country, and upon moving to Baltimore I started playing Australian rules football with the Baltimore-Washington Eagles in the United States Australian Football League, and act as the treasurer for the club. I am also an active member of Highland Lodge #184 and enjoy medium to short walks on the beach, concerts with friends, and food in all its forms.