INTRODUCTION:
I have a broad teaching portfolio in the Department of Biology. Since starting my tenure-track position in 2007 I have been responsible for teaching 6 different lecture courses and 6 different laboratories, including General Biology lecture and laboratory, Immunology, Molecular Biology and Nutrition. Additionally, I serve as a faculty mentor for 2-4 research students per semester. I thoroughly enjoy teaching at Elizabethtown College where I am able to really get to know students on a more personal level. I particularly enjoy working with the first-year students as they transition to college. I often provide advice to young students about study skills, time management and college-level academic expectations. Students often comment that I am approachable and enthusiastic, and they appreciate my guidance.
My teaching methods rely less on standard lecture and more on classroom discussion and group work. For example, I utilize debates and group presentations in the molecular biology course. The utility of molecular biology is often the basis for controversy in the popular news. Recent newsworthy topics include genetically modified foods, in vitro fertilization, genetic testing and the ability to have your own DNA sequenced. In the Immunology course students learn about the immune system through case-based learning. Students are provided a medically accurate case history and learn about the involvement of the immune system in Celiac Disease and mononucleosis. In Nutrition, students read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and discuss the social, political and environmental aspects of the food industry. These types of activities lead to a dynamic classroom in which students more readily learn course material.
BIO112 laboratory class measuring turtles in a pond at Elizabethtown College.
LIST OF COURSES TAUGHT AT ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE:
BIO111 – Molecules, Cells and Animal Systems lecture and laboratory
BIO112 – Principles of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity of life laboratory
BIO220 – Nutrition
BIO310 – Molecular Biology lecture and laboratory
BIO311 – Experimental Design in Cell Biology
BIO322 – Immunology lecture and laboratory
One comment