Teaching, Outreach, and Engagement

My teaching focuses on current topics in evolution, genomics, and global change biology. I also have a strong interest in professional development and the journey the scientists undertake. I teach an upper division undergraduate "Global Change Biology" course in the spring semester (ESPM 152) and rotate among several graduate courses including "Molecular Evolution for Ecologists", "Patterns of Diversity", "PhD as Process" and "Science and Wonder" (ESPM 290) and an upper division undergraduate seminar called "The Environment and the Self: An Eco Practicum".

As a former outdoor educator and K-12 teacher, I am also passionate about outreach. We facilitate a number of K-12 outrach events each year, from "Lizard Camp" at our field sites in New Mexico to "Biodiversity Day" programming for public schools in Berkeley. Many members of the lab volunteer with BASIS (Bay Area Scientists in Schools), and we are always excited about new ways to bring science alive for students of all ages.

Finally, I spend a lot of time thinking (and talking) about how to transform the culture of academia to be more inclusive and holistic. Recently, that has taken the form of leadership in campus-wide efforts to provide engaged mentoring and immersive, discovery-oriented learning experiences. I serve as the director of the Berkeley Connect mentoring program and the Berkeley Discovercurricular innovation effort. I also offer many workshops each year on topics ranging from work-life balance to addressing the shadow-side of mentoring.