Teaching
I view science communication as an indispensable tool for building an enlightened community, and I aim to bring that philosophy directly into the classroom and laboratory. My goal as an instructor is to cultivate genuine curiosity, helping students not only understand biological concepts, but also appreciate how those concepts are discovered, tested, and revised through the scientific process. I strive to make laboratory work an active and engaging experience, connecting experimental observations to broader questions in biology and society.
Courses
BIOL 1031/1037 Honors — Organismal Biology Laboratory
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Auburn University
2018–Present · Fall and Spring semesters
Enrollment: 2 sections per semester, 32–42 students per section. In Fall 2026 I am leading 2 sections of 42 students each, 84 students this term.
I independently lead multiple laboratory sections in this large-enrollment survey course covering organismal diversity across the tree of life. Topics include microbiology and microscopy, botany (nonvascular plants through angiosperms), and animal diversity (invertebrate phyla through vertebrate organ systems). I guide students through specimen identification, plant and animal dissection (including vertebrate rat dissection), and pre-lab discussions, and manage all aspects of section administration: attendance, grading, and student support.
BIOL 5521 — Recombinant DNA Technology
Graduate Teaching Assistant (with Dr. Rita M. Graze), Auburn University
Fall 2022 · Fall 2025
Enrollment: 2 sections of approximately 20 students each term
This upper-division course-based research experience (CURE) guides students through an end-to-end recombinant protein project. I led students through bacterial transformation, plasmid isolation, restriction digest, mutagenic PCR, site-directed mutagenesis, and SDS-PAGE validation, and supported experimental design, troubleshooting, and formal manuscript preparation throughout the course.
BIOL 1021 — Principles of Biology Laboratory
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Auburn University
2018–2019
I independently managed full sections of this introductory biology laboratory, covering the scientific method, evolutionary biology, and organismal diversity. I developed and implemented a novel laboratory exercise using active learning and structured discussion to communicate core evolutionary concepts, and guided students in scientific writing, quantitative data analysis, and hypothesis-driven inquiry.
Resources
Syllabi and course materials available upon request.