Wildlife Genomics LabSmith College

Courses & pedagogy

Teaching

I work toward two goals as an educator: to foster an inclusive learning environment and to strengthen students' scientific reasoning.

Courses at Smith College

BIO 336/337 Genomics & Genomics Lab

An upper-level course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). Students design a comparative genomics experiment, run an exploratory screen for positive selection on a high-performance computing cluster, and develop their own strategies for interpreting the results.
Fall 2023, 2024, 2025

BIO 230 Genomes and Genetic Analysis

A lecture course that integrates genetics with evolution. A case study on Darwin's finches and beak-shape evolution runs through the semester, and a weekly Challenge of the Week links genetics to ecology, evolution, and development.
Spring 2024, 2026

BIO 351 Seminar: Trade-Offs in Growth, Survival, and Reproduction

A topics seminar in evolutionary biology on the life history trade-offs that shape lifespan, body size, and reproduction.
Spring 2026

Special & advanced studies

BIO 400 Special Studies: Aging Biology; BIO 510 Advanced Studies in Aging Biology, Aging Biomarkers in vitro, and Genomics & Bioinformatics.

Approach

Emphasizing skill over static knowledge through process-based thinking

My pedagogical approach couples process-based thinking with content mastery through guided-inquiry activities. Process-based thinking is a structured approach to understanding, mapping, optimizing, and implementing a scientific approach, which de-emphasizes the final result. For example, students who participated in BIO 336/337 designed a comparative genomics experiment and mapped out their own strategies for parsing and interpreting the results from an exploratory screen for positive selection. In a mid-semester evaluation, 51% of students reported that the course was “somewhat difficult” or “very difficult”. However, they also reported that learning “how to think in a process-oriented way” was among the top skills they gained through course-based research, and that learning-through-doing “made me feel like I was actually contributing.” Through mini-lectures and guided-inquiry activities, students step through each element of the computational pipeline and develop a detailed conceptual diagram over the course of the semester. This focus on process fosters a deeper understanding of core concepts like natural selection and mutation, and reinforces the notion that null results can still be valuable, if they are based on sound scientific reasoning. As one student put it aptly, “oftentimes, the results are not satisfying,” but de-emphasizing the outcome encouraged students to stay curious when the results failed to support their hypotheses. Student learning in this course was supported by a pre-printed, semester-long “reader” which included a mix of educational and primary literature, and students were tasked to highlight and annotate the text in the assigned weekly readings. At progress checks, student notations expressed interest, confusion, and made connections to our course and others, serving as a valuable snapshot of how they engage with primary literature. Students reported that “the assigned readings helped me become better at reading scientific papers” and that the physicality of reading, writing, and highlighting was both convenient and a welcome break from digital learning.

Engaged and inclusive learning in larger classes

Creating a sense of community is a priority in my teaching of BIO 230 Genomes and Genetic Analyses. I co-taught this course to 96 enrolled students with Professor Williams in Spring 2024 and will teach it independently in Spring 2026. In the 24-25 academic year, I put substantial effort toward developing tools for managing a larger lecture-style class. My efforts included a year-long Sherrerd Center mentorship with Elizabeth Pryor, with support from my faculty colleagues, teaching circle lunches and a mid-semester assessment. This mentorship gave me practical tools for how to better manage larger courses, which I’m implementing now. My second iteration of this course is capped at 50 students and will integrate genetics with evolution. In this iteration, a case study presented early in the semester related to Darwin’s finches and beak shape evolution serves as a storyline we build upon and return to week after week. My initial presentation of this case study incorporates memorable imagery from brief video clips, and reviews the familiar historic and scientific importance of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. As the weeks pass, I build upon the case study in lectures about mutation and gene regulation, each time presenting more advanced content and guiding students through figures directly from the publication. Student understanding of this classic example can then expand to include the role of the genetic variation underlying beak shape diversity. To build community in the classroom, I use active learning strategies which require the students to work collaboratively with their peers to develop a “One Sentence Synthesis” of key concepts, co-create diagrams, and develop shared definitions for abstract concepts like “gene”. By embracing these abstractions, I hope to implant the mindset that science is a process rather than a body of knowledge which they must retain in absolute. Students practice integrating the course content with prior knowledge through the Challenge of the Week, which is designed to make cross-disciplinary connections between genetics and ecology, evolution, and development. This semester I am working closely with the Spinelli Center to establish a weekend tutoring session in which students can work through the Challenge of the Week in collaboration with their peers. I look forward to the opportunity to continue developing my existing courses and to find creative ways in which I can blend research into my courses.

Earlier teaching

Professional development

Sherrerd Center Big Questions Teaching Circle (2023–24) · Year-long teaching mentorship with Elizabeth Pryor (2024–25) · Formative and Summative Assessment of Analytical Inductive and Deductive Processes (2025–26)