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Philosophy
As an ecologist, I view much of the world through a lens of interconnections. I bring this perspective to teaching as I believe that seeing and appreciating connections in biology can be a powerful motivator in learning. For example, the forces that can control and structure a community include biological (e.g. predation) and physical (e.g. tidal height) forces. This means that to understand the community, one must also understand how the components of the community behave and the dynamics of forces acting within and on it. While this approach can be complex, I believe that it can be best taught through experiential learning, using the scientific method as a guide. I encourage students to investigate the patterns they see in the natural world through literature, observation, and experimentation.
Current courses
FHL 472A - Biodiversity and Monitoring of Estuarine Ecosystems (BMEE): This research apprenticeship at University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories is focused on understanding biological and physical processes in False Bay and its associated watershed on, San Juan Island. Students are instructed on general nearshore and riparian field methods, data management, and analysis culminating in an individual research project. The course is still in its early years, but our hope is to build a long term dataset on key components of the False Bay watershed. I am honored to co-teach this course with Dr. Brooke Sullivan and Dr. Megan Dethier. Learn more here.
Past courses
FISH 414 - Field Methods in Marine Ecology and Fisheries: This intensive two week course at University of Alaska Fairbanks is focused on common field methods in nearshore ecology and fisheries research. Students spend nearly half the course in the field collecting different types of ecological data in rocky intertidal, nearshore pelagic, and estuarine environments. This course was originally developed by Dr. Ginny Eckert. Learn more here.
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