*Will be updated with Macalester courses soon*
TEACHING
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Semester in Environmental Science at The Ecosystems Center (2015-present)
In Fall 2017, I will be returning for my third year as an instructor for the Semester in Environmental Science , is a semester-long research intensive program for upper-level undergraduates. I lead a module on canopy processes and scaling photosynthesis, respiration, and leaf traits. Students work in teams to collect data from the nearby Crane Wildlife Management Site, and apply models to test hypotheses about leaf partitioning through a canopy, carbon exchange, and the impacts of light on physiological processes. Students work in groups on sub-topics that are presented and critiqued by their peers. In 2016, I integrated measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence into the lab in addition to direct measures of carbon exchange using an infrared gas analyzer. As a part of SES, I've mentored independent student projects, which comprise 1/3 of the semester, and are capped with a presentation. More photos of SES on the blog! |
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Touring restored forests in the Bronx, 2012.
Nature in the City: Exploring NYC's Ecosystems (2012)
In 2012, I was selected as a Summer Teaching Scholar by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University based on an original syllabus. While my research background did not cover Urban Ecology, I saw this as an opportunity to learn about a new topic through teaching, and also utilize the wonderful metropolis of New York City as a living laboratory of ecology and environmental science. I organized multiple field trips around the city: bird habitat in Jamaica Bay, restoration projects in Pelham Bay Park, urban planning in Central Park. I invited experts into the classroom to humanize these research pursuits, including a graduate student studying Urban Heat Island impacts on respiratory disease, and a restoration ecologist for the Parks Department of NYC.
As this was my first college class that I planned from scratch, I took the opportunity to get creative about its structure, content, and practices. In addition to specific content, I aimed to explicitly teach science process skills, such as hypothesis building, literature searches, and reading primary research articles. As an educator, I want students to leave each course with new or more refined skills that support their growth and development as critical thinkers and communicators. Along these lines, the major assessment of the course was a scaffolded grant proposal. After learning about many topics, students began thinking about projects they would like to undertake in urban ecology. They wrote and peer-reviewed abstracts, made hypotheses and 'budgets', and finally presented their proposals to the class in written and oral form. Similar to science funding, students evaluated the feasibility, creativity, and communication of these projects. Another goal of this course was to make a deeply collaborative learning environment where student input for assessments, course content, and approaches is valued and included. I view my role as a guide for student learning, not a unilateral decision maker about how the course is run.
In 2012, I was selected as a Summer Teaching Scholar by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University based on an original syllabus. While my research background did not cover Urban Ecology, I saw this as an opportunity to learn about a new topic through teaching, and also utilize the wonderful metropolis of New York City as a living laboratory of ecology and environmental science. I organized multiple field trips around the city: bird habitat in Jamaica Bay, restoration projects in Pelham Bay Park, urban planning in Central Park. I invited experts into the classroom to humanize these research pursuits, including a graduate student studying Urban Heat Island impacts on respiratory disease, and a restoration ecologist for the Parks Department of NYC.
As this was my first college class that I planned from scratch, I took the opportunity to get creative about its structure, content, and practices. In addition to specific content, I aimed to explicitly teach science process skills, such as hypothesis building, literature searches, and reading primary research articles. As an educator, I want students to leave each course with new or more refined skills that support their growth and development as critical thinkers and communicators. Along these lines, the major assessment of the course was a scaffolded grant proposal. After learning about many topics, students began thinking about projects they would like to undertake in urban ecology. They wrote and peer-reviewed abstracts, made hypotheses and 'budgets', and finally presented their proposals to the class in written and oral form. Similar to science funding, students evaluated the feasibility, creativity, and communication of these projects. Another goal of this course was to make a deeply collaborative learning environment where student input for assessments, course content, and approaches is valued and included. I view my role as a guide for student learning, not a unilateral decision maker about how the course is run.
Ninth graders dissecting pig hearts in 2008. I cannot believe these students are now in their early 20s!
Teaching Assistantships at Columbia University (2009-2011)
Teaching High School Biology in New York City (2006-2008)
- Environmental Biology (2009, 2011)
- Life Systems (2010)
Teaching High School Biology in New York City (2006-2008)
- I joined the New York City Teaching Fellows directly after graduating college. For two years, I taught ninth graders Human Biology (original curriculum) and Regents Living Environment at the Urban Assembly Academy for Government and Law, a small, high-need public school located in the Seward Park campus in the Lower East Side.
- I developed curriculum for Human Biology and Health courses, led an Honors Humanities Seminar for high-performing upperclassmen, developed a behavior-based incentive program,
- During these years, after work and through the summer, I took courses at City College of New York and earned a Masters in Education with a focus on Secondary Science Education.
- Prior to starting at the Urban Assembly Academy for Government and Law, I worked as a student teacher at Wadleigh Secondary School in Math and Earth Science classes.
- My experiences as a high school teacher directly inform my teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level, and I aim to make my classes inquiry-driven, student-centered, and emphasize creativity and collaboration.
MENTORING
Planting Science
I am a scientist mentor for Planting Science, an online learning community that links classrooms with plant scientists to work on experiment development and inquiry. Each semester I help guide a team students in middle and high school classrooms from around the US.
Starting in summer 2017, I will be working more closely with this organization as a Planting Science Fellow as a part of the new NSF funded Digging Deeper program that brings high school teachers and plant scientists together to strengthen the program's modules on photosynthesis. I will be attending a workshop in Colorado Springs in July 2017, and then mentoring 2 classrooms in the Fall.
RESEARCH MENTORING
I am a scientist mentor for Planting Science, an online learning community that links classrooms with plant scientists to work on experiment development and inquiry. Each semester I help guide a team students in middle and high school classrooms from around the US.
Starting in summer 2017, I will be working more closely with this organization as a Planting Science Fellow as a part of the new NSF funded Digging Deeper program that brings high school teachers and plant scientists together to strengthen the program's modules on photosynthesis. I will be attending a workshop in Colorado Springs in July 2017, and then mentoring 2 classrooms in the Fall.
RESEARCH MENTORING
- I've mentored and advised undergraduate students during field campaigns in Massachusetts, Arctic Alaska, Minnesota, New York, and Sweden.
- As a graduate student, I involved high school students and Barnard undergraduates in my research endeavors on Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes and gas exchange.
Enjoying the fruits of Ely, MN with Nur after a few weeks of gas exchange!
Field work on the North Slope of Alaska, 2010.
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Melissa presenting her independent project for SES, 2015.
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LiCor City, New York, 2013.
