Welcome to my web space. Read below and navigate to my subpages to learn about me and my interests in biology and sustainability education.
Imagine a world where people are curious and seek data to help make decisions! I believe that an increase in transformative learning experiences in biology and sustainability education can lead to those very outcomes.
Educational Pursuits
After successful completion of my undergraduate degree in biology and my master’s degree in zoology, I am now pursuing my doctorate. I plan to complete my PhD in Learning Sciences at the University of Oklahoma in 2025.
My doctoral research seeks to understand and study the transformative learning experiences that non-science majors do, or could, have in introductory biology courses. These intersecting areas of education and science combine my love of teaching, transformative learning, sustainability, and nature. I envision introductory science classes being a place where student outcomes include, not just course content, but an enhanced curiosity about the natural world, valuing scientific data, and centrally-shifted ecological identities. I believe these outcomes will enhance not only science teaching, but the societies into which we send our graduates.
Work Goals
As Assistant Director of the University of Central Oklahoma’s Center for Excellence in Transformative Teaching and Learning, my current work goals include:
- Helping college students succeed academically, especially through training faculty campus-wide;
- Facilitating student learning inside and outside the classroom through the Student Transformative Learning Record (STLR);
- Sharing the STLR model with other higher education institutions around the world;
- Sharing and practicing sustainable behaviors, both environmentally and socially (e.g., through leadership with the UCO Sustainability Center); and
- Improving biology education through teaching, classroom technology research/exploration, and service to professional organizations (e.g., Association for Biology Laboratory Education).
Extracurricular Activities
I serve locally on the Oklahoma Compost & Sustainability Association executive board, and on the boards of international non-profits, Partners for Madagascar and Joiners. I also maintain several websites and blogs (e.g., savedarwinsfrogs.org), and have ongoing interests in herpetology, ecology, and Madagascar. I maintain further biology connections through contract work with textbook publishing companies, presentations at the annual conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, and maintain my sanity through traveling, community service, walks in nature, and spending time with my family.
