Student evaluations and feedback indicate taking accurate notes is facilitated by this lecture style. I keep up with advances by reading new issues of several journals. It is common for me to include a finding published within the most recent month during my lectures. The approach that I favor in lab and discussion involves hands-on, inquiry and discovery based activities and cooperative learning, with an emphasis on experimental design involving field studies and animal behavior. In upper level science courses, a requirement of a term paper or research project where the student must develop and test their own hypothesis helps to develop analytical skills and allows students to show some creativity.
Versatility is also a strength in teaching and research.
My educational background involved a shift from biochemistry and molecular biology to zoology and ecology. This varied experience in the life sciences has made me a very well rounded biologist who looks at problems from both the holistic and reductionistic perspectives. My research interests are the interfaces between population ecology, animal behavior and community ecology of amphibians in wetland ecosystems. This primarily includes studying the effects of environmental chemistry, micro habitat choice, foraging, predator avoidance, aggression, and overall activity on population dynamics, community structure and biogeography. I have found that this versatility has enhanced my ability to teach at the introductory level and fueled my desire to teach new courses.