Philosophy |
With the increasing demand for quantitative skill sets in the wildlife and fisheries profession, I have focused my teaching efforts on applied statistical methods. I am particularly excited by the prospect of developing and teaching undergraduate courses that meld the field and quantitative methods used to study wildlife and fish populations, while encouraging higher levels of scientific inquiry and the development of sound research methodology. My teaching philosophy focuses on three main tenets: 1) Experiential and Project-based Learning; 2) Capacity Building and; 3) Inclusive and Responsive Teaching.
The emphasis on hands on learning really helped me to grasp the concepts being taught.
-Anonymous Student, WFS 497, Student Rating of Teaching Effectiveness Survey
Experience
Russel D. and Gloria T. Harrar Scholarship
The Russel D. and Gloria T. Harrar Scholarship was created through the Ecosystem Science and Management (ESM) Department at Penn State University to support an ESM graduate student. During the year of support, this student is given the opportunity to develop an undergraduate course and teach it in the following semester.
In 2017, I was honored to be selected as the first Harrar Scholar. As such, I developed an undergraduate course for students in the Wildlife and Fisheries program of the ESM Department. The course is titled: 'Estimating population vital rates for management and conservation.' This course explored the theory and application of statistical methods used in the conservation and management of wildlife and fish populations, including capture-mark-recapture and occupancy modeling.
The Russel D. and Gloria T. Harrar Scholarship was created through the Ecosystem Science and Management (ESM) Department at Penn State University to support an ESM graduate student. During the year of support, this student is given the opportunity to develop an undergraduate course and teach it in the following semester.
In 2017, I was honored to be selected as the first Harrar Scholar. As such, I developed an undergraduate course for students in the Wildlife and Fisheries program of the ESM Department. The course is titled: 'Estimating population vital rates for management and conservation.' This course explored the theory and application of statistical methods used in the conservation and management of wildlife and fish populations, including capture-mark-recapture and occupancy modeling.
Upward Bound Summer Academy - Climate Change and Climate Justice
I designed and co-taught a course on “Climate Change and Climate Justice” for Upward Bound’s Summer Academy, held at Penn State in summer 2019. Upward Bound is a national college-access program for high school students from low-income families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. Our class included sophomores and juniors from four high-schools in rural Pennsylvania. Throughout the summer, we strived to show our students that science is for everyone, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender. For example, we used a series of short films promoting culturally- and racially-diverse, young adult activists throughout our climate justice modules. Our course culminated in a project where students proposed large-scale solutions to climate change and identified actions they could do as individuals to reverse or impede the effects of climate change on their communities.
I designed and co-taught a course on “Climate Change and Climate Justice” for Upward Bound’s Summer Academy, held at Penn State in summer 2019. Upward Bound is a national college-access program for high school students from low-income families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. Our class included sophomores and juniors from four high-schools in rural Pennsylvania. Throughout the summer, we strived to show our students that science is for everyone, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender. For example, we used a series of short films promoting culturally- and racially-diverse, young adult activists throughout our climate justice modules. Our course culminated in a project where students proposed large-scale solutions to climate change and identified actions they could do as individuals to reverse or impede the effects of climate change on their communities.
Workshops
I have designed, organized, and taught several domestic and international workshops on topics ranging from vernal pool monitoring to hierarchical modeling. I love designing and teaching workshops and am happy to help anyone that wants to make their workshop material more engaging and dynamic for participants.
I have designed, organized, and taught several domestic and international workshops on topics ranging from vernal pool monitoring to hierarchical modeling. I love designing and teaching workshops and am happy to help anyone that wants to make their workshop material more engaging and dynamic for participants.
Resources & Course Materials
In the process of developing my Harrar course (see above), I noticed that there are very few resources for teaching quantitative ecology to undergraduate students, especially for courses that want to primarily use R/RStudio. I have posted my course materials in the hopes that others can benefit from my experience developing this course.
I am always looking for feedback on my teaching materials - feel free to send me an email or a message on social media if you have any suggestions or questions. I am also looking for science teaching repositories or other ways to publish teaching materials, all with the hope that I can better myself as a teacher by learning from others.
I am always looking for feedback on my teaching materials - feel free to send me an email or a message on social media if you have any suggestions or questions. I am also looking for science teaching repositories or other ways to publish teaching materials, all with the hope that I can better myself as a teacher by learning from others.