Teaching

Current Courses

BSCI 170, Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology Lecture

BSCI 170 is the second course in the introductory science sequence for Biology majors, and is a prerequisite for many higher level courses. Topics covered include basic chemistry and organic chemistry, macromolecular structure, metabolism and photosynthesis, gene regulation, gene expression, and basic cell biology. Students from other science majors, such as psychology and dietetics, also take this course as a requirement, and I have developed active learning approaches to make the material accessible to students with diverse backgrounds and interests.

Previous Courses

BSCI 105, Principles of Biology I, Lecture with Laboratory

The previous incarnation of our introductory molecular and cellular biology course which included the lab component (now BSCI 171) which introduced students to the common equipment and methods encountered in a modern research laboratory. The application of the Scientific Method was encorporated throughout, and students learned basic scientific communication and writing skills. Hands on experiences were provided for microscopy, spectrophotometry, chromatography, plasmid isolation and transfection, and DNA and protein electrophoresis. As the Lab Manager, I was responsible for developing and updating lab exercises to reflect contemporary methods and increase authentic student inquiry.

CPSP 218L, College Park Scholars Colloquium II: Life Sciences

Topic - Stem cells, gene therapy, and human genetic disease. Students used journalistic reports of advances in research on stem cell biology and gene therapy as inspiration for presentations exploring the underlying science of these technologies in relation to treating human disease.

BSCI 447, General Endocrinology

An introductory endocrinology course for pre-professional science majors surveying the major endocrine systems and their pathologies.