Embedded Files
Flagstaff High School students on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on a Grand Canyon Trust trip in 2017 to participate in citizen science. I mentored some of these students, and many others, in their self-guided senior capstone research projects.
Before I am anything else, I am a teacher!
Student-led, inquiry- and place-based learning connects students' personal lived experiences with concepts covered in the classroom. My personal philosophy is that teaching biology is more effective when it is done outside where students can observe, experiment, and grow an appreciation for the diversity of life on the planet.
The goals for my students are:
1) Every student; no matter their race, religion, socioeconomic background, gender or sexual identity, and so forth; feel safe, welcome, and valued in my classroom.
2) Students develop skills to help them succeed in University and in their careers.
3) Students meet course objectives.
4) We have FUN!
Teaching is my favorite thing to do in the entire world. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to guide such a diversity of students--from high schoolers to graduate students--in exploring biological principles.
During my time at Northern Arizona University, I have developed or helped to develop several courses. Click here to learn details of each course.
Since 2017, I have had the grand privilege to work with local high school teachers in and around Flagstaff. Click here to learn about the hands-on learning opportunities these students have had through the collaboration of their dedicated teachers and myself.
Plant-Fungal Ecology
Plant-Fungal Ecology
As an undergraduate, I became obsessed with understanding how plant-associated fungi altered the ecological interactions that plants had with other organisms, especially insect herbivores. My undergraduate research project examined the fungi living inside galls formed by the aphid Pemphigus betae on the leaves of narrowleaf cottonwoods (Populus angustifolia). That project launched me into my graduate studies at Northern Arizona University under the tutelage of the wonderful Dr. Catherine "Kitty" Gehring. I now study how plant associated fungi helps mitigate the effects of climate change and invasive species on the foundational tree species Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) in the southwestern United States.
Pemphigus spp. galls on balsam poplar hybrids. Alberta, Canada. July 2018.
Here you will find links to my peer reviewed products, including journal articles, book chapters, USGS fact sheets, and more.
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