Teaching
Teaching Philosophy
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
2018–2026 · Fall and Spring semesters
Enrollment: 2 sections per semester, averaging 32 students per section (~64 students per 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.