Mentoring
I am passionate about mentoring undergraduate students and helping them gain experience in ecological research. In April 2020, I, along with a few other graduate students, started a new mentoring program at the University of Minnesota called Field Guides. Field Guides pairs undergraduate students broadly interested in ecology with graduate student mentors who help them find on campus research positions, connect them with potential employers, and help them apply to summer research positions. Field Guides also holds monthly seminars on topics like applying to grad school, finding paid research opportunities, and writing successful research and personal statements. As of January 2022, we have paired over 100 undergraduate mentees with graduate student mentors and held monthly seminars for four academic semesters. Once COVID restrictions are eased, we hope to hold more community-building events with our mentors and mentees to strengthen the community with ecology students at the University of Minnesota.
I have been privileged to work with a fantastic undergraduate student, Katie Schroeder, through the NSF REU program at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. Katie has led her own independent project each of the last two summers, and presented a poster at the virtual ESA meeting in August 2020. Katie is now a PhD student herself in the lab of Dr. Alex Strauss and the University of Georgia. I also had the privilege of working with Asha Kaliappan, who helped me with field work and conducted her own independent study during Summer 2021 at Toolik Field Station. This was Asha's first research experiment, and she planned, conducted, and presented her independent research. Asha is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota. |
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Teaching Experience
Teaching assistant, Principles of Ecology (EEB 3407) -- Fall 2020
Teaching assistant, Principles of Ecology (writing intensive) (EEB3408W) -- Spring 2021
I taught two lab sections of EEB 3407 and EEB3408W during the 2021-22 academic year. Duites included preparing online lab experiments, reviewing lecture material, helping groups of students plan and execute group research projects, and grading assignments and papers. I also had the privilege of preparing and giving a lecture to the full EEB3408W class (~150 students) on the topics of Photosynthesis and Respiration.
Teaching assistant, Principles of Ecology (writing intensive) (EEB3408W) -- Spring 2021
I taught two lab sections of EEB 3407 and EEB3408W during the 2021-22 academic year. Duites included preparing online lab experiments, reviewing lecture material, helping groups of students plan and execute group research projects, and grading assignments and papers. I also had the privilege of preparing and giving a lecture to the full EEB3408W class (~150 students) on the topics of Photosynthesis and Respiration.