Teaching Experience and Interests
Current Courses
Evolution (NJIT BIOL 222, 2009); Syllabus download, view
Prerequisites: R120:101 and R120:102, Rutgers General Biology I and II. This course will provide a comprehensive introduction to the field of evolutionary biology. Topics will include: the development of evolutionary theory, the history of the evolution of life on Earth, the genetic basis of variation and heredity, natural selection, evolution and development, and speciation.
Conservation Biology (NJIT BIOL 375, 2009); Syllabus download, view
Discussion 1 Readings (for 9/16): Required Optional
Discussion 2 Readings (for 9/30); Required Optional
Prerequisites: R120:101, R120:102 General Biology I & II. This course will provide a comprehensive introduction to the field of conservation biology, as well as philosophical and economic concerns.
Ecological Field Methods and Analysis (NJIT BIOL 475, 2009); Syllabus download, view
Prerequisites: R120:370 Plant Ecology or R120:380 Animal Ecology or permission of instructor. This field-orientated class will study animal and plant communities using a combination of field, laboratory and theory work. The goal of this course is to understand ecological principles and to introduce students to modern methodology for field work, the techniques and instruments used, as well as the theoretical basis for their application. Students will collect data, analyze them and report the results in written and oral format.
Previous Experience
Animal Behavior (Princeton University, 2007)
Animal Behavior (Rutgers University, NB 2007)
Biodiversity, conservation and ecosystem services in managed landscapes (Columbia University).
This seminar is being run as part of a Distributed Graduate Seminar (DGS) funded by the National Center for Ecological Synthesis and Analysis (NCEAS). The general purpose of the seminar is to synthesize current ecological information on the role that biodiversity in agricultural landscapes (agrobiodiversity) plays in providing ecosystem services. After receiving background lectures and reading material on 10 potential research themes (see list below) during the first 4 weeks of the course, students will select research topics and work together in cross-institution groups to synthesize available data and information on their research topic into review articles, meta-analyses, and research presentations. After the seminar, the leader and two students from each institution will participate in workshops at NCEAS to finish data analysis and prepare summary documents. During the course of the project work, students will work most closely with the faculty leader of their research theme and other group members; however, institutional leaders will be available to provide students with any needed support. It is the hope of the seminar leaders that each group project will result in a publishable document. Previous Distributed Graduate Seminars have resulted in multiple publications authored by students and faculty, attention from the national and local media, and databases that can be accessed by the public on the NCEAS website.
Click here to go to the course website.
The first four are courses below I taught as a visiting assistant professor at the College of Wooster and therefore had full autonomy. Catalog descriptions follow each title. The others were taught at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where I was a teaching assistant. I give the titles of the courses for which I was a teaching assistant, the number of semesters of experience I had for each, a brief description of the course and my specific responsibilities. All courses except Arachnology were restricted to undergraduates.
Introduction to the Biology of Populations. This introductory course considers the population level of biological organization. Topics include Mendelian and population genetics, evolution, and ecology of populations and communities. It was team-taught by myself and one other faculty person. I was specifically responsible for lecturing on the evolutionary material and we both were responsible for teaching the laboratory sessions.
Population and Community Ecology. A study of ecological principles as they apply to populations, communities, and ecosystems. Topics include physiological ecology, population growth, competition, predation, community structure, patterns of energy and nutrient cycling, and species diversity. Laboratory exercises emphasize experimental techniques to investigate ecological questions.
Ethology. The study of animal behavior from an evolutionary perspective. This course considers how particular behavioral patterns enhance survival and reproductive success, and the ways in which ecological pressures shape behaviors involved in communication, reproduction, foraging, predator avoidance, and sociality. A wide taxonomic spectrum of animals is considered, ranging from the simplest invertebrates to humans. Laboratory exercises serve as basic tool development and preparation for student-designed independent projects.
Animal Behavior. This non-majors course explores the mechanisms, evolution, and consequences of behavior in animals. It deals with innate and learned behavioral responses as they related to such topics as orientation, communication, reproductive behavior, ecology, and social behavior.
Cell Biology (2 semesters). This was a required course for biology majors and served as an introduction to the basic concepts of cellular and molecular biology, including some basic organic chemistry, structure and function of cellular membranes and organelles, basic genetics, and the cell cycle. It was a lecture course and so my responsibilities were to lead the weekly discussion sections. I routinely held review sessions before exams, created practice tests and review sheets to help the students prepare for exams. I also graded lecture exams and administered and graded weekly quizzes.
Honors Zoology(3 semesters). This was a two-semester introductory-level biology course, geared toward biology majors. Students had to qualify for admission into the course by meeting minimum ACT or GPA requirements. It was required for all bio-mechanical engineering students. Topics covered included genetics, animal physiology, embryology, comparative review of the animal phyla, ecology, and behavior. I was responsible for all aspects of the laboratory portion of the course, including ordering and preparation of materials, preparing lab hand-outs, grading of lab assignments including formal scientific write-ups and laboratory notebooks, and creating and administering lab practical exams. Labs met twice a week for two hours and exercises included animal dissections, field trips, microscope work, fruit-fly selection experiments, and chemical extraction of DNA, among others.
General Ecology (2 semesters). This was an intermediate-level course taken primarily by biology, forestry, and wildlife majors. Topics covered included population growth, species interactions, species richness and diversity, succession, community ecology, island biogeography, trophic structure, energy flow, nutrient cycling and behavioral and evolutionary ecology, along with issues in conservation biology. TAs were responsible for constructing the lab handouts, ordering/gathering materials, and instructing the students during labs. In addition, TAs graded laboratory assignments, including formal scientific write-ups.
Arachnology (1 semester). This was an upper-level elective course, most often taken by senior biology majors and graduate students. It was primarily a lab and field course, requiring the collection and identification of specimens. I was responsible for organizing field trips, instructing students on collection techniques, and aiding in the identification process.
General Biology (1 semester)
Mankind in the Biotic World (1 semester)
Biodiversity (1 semester).
These three classes were all introductory biology classes; the first for majors and non-majors combined, the second exclusively for non-majors and the third exclusively for majors. The basic format and subjects covered were similar for all three and included a basic review of biology, from molecules to cells to cellular processes to a review of the five kingdoms. For these courses, TAs were responsible for lab instruction, creation/administration of lab quizzes and a lab practical, and creation/grading of lab assignments including formal lab-reports, library assignments, research projects, and internet assignments.
Future Interests
There are a number of courses that I would love to have the opportunity to develop and teach. The first is a lecture course or graduate seminar on biodiversity conservation, with a particular focus on arthropods, both as objects of conservation efforts and as tools in conservation planning. There would be some overlap with a more traditional course in conservation biology, but the emphasis would be on biodiversity (what is it?, how is it measured?, why is it controversial?, etc.). This would bring the focus to arthropod conservation (importance, methods, obstacles, new technology, etc.), as arthropods comprise the bulk of biodiversity. A second course I would be interested in developing is a field course in arachnology. Ideally, this would take place at a field station so that students would have the opportunity to collect ecological data at the same time they are learning about collection techniques and the systematics/taxonomy, biology, and ecology of arachnids. Students would be working on individual collections as well as participating in a group ecological study (e.g. measuring the diversity of spiders in different habitats [disturbed/undisturbed; vegetationally complex/simple] or some other project of interest to the group). This course could also be taught in a more traditional manner over the course of a semester on campus. If arachnids are considered too narrow a group to attract enough students, the course could be modified into more of an insect field ecology course. Finally, I would be interested in teaching a seminar on biological invasions, again with a focus on arthropod invaders. While in graduate school, I participated in a number of seminars on biological invasions and found that they were very informative and interesting because they brought up such a broad spectrum of ecological and environmental issues.
