About
Academic background
I completed my B.S. in Biology at the University of Notre Dame, my M.A.T. at the University of Portland as a part of the Alliance for Catholic Education, and my Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining EEB in 2009, I was an assistant professor of science education at Hunter College of the City University of New York.
Research interests
In biology, I have used biomechanical tools to help understand the migrations of lamprey. Specifically, I have looked at Pacific lamprey making their way up manmade ramps. I haved used similar tools to investigate the behavior of frog tadpoles in predator-prey situations. I generally enjoy considering the interaction between the physics of the environment and animals.
In science education, I am looking at factors that influence the inclusion of topics and activities in classroom, specifically looking at teacher/instructor decision making. Most recently, I have become interested in incorporating environmental sustainability themes into introductory biology courses.
Teaching
Teaching BIO 106 (Quantitative Reasoning in the Biological Sciences, for the MSTEM academies)
Teaching BIO 108 (Introduction to Animal Diversity for non-majors)
Teaching BIO 256 (Ennvironmental Physiology of Animals)
Coordinating BIO 171 (Intro to Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) and teaching the honors discussion sessions
Field(s) of Study
- Science education and organismal biology
