Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy in a single word:
in· i· ti· ate    verb
1. cause (a process or action) to begin.
2. introduce someone to a particular skill, especially a difficult or obscure one.

The great philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn once wrote that an educational program is principally a means of communicating to students the paradigms of their time. While this may be true of an educational program, an educator must do more than simply reiterate, they must also initiate. If the goal of a curriculum is to introduce the "paradigms of the time", then the goal of the instructor is to spark independent investigation, fueling an interest in the subject that lasts beyond the classroom.

Awards

UC Berkeley Teaching Effectiveness Award (2016)       Award Essay

UC Berkeley Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor (2015-16)

University of Washington Excellence in Teaching Award (Honorable Mention, 2012)

courses Taught

Introduction to Earth's Oceans (GSI UC Berkeley - F 2017)

Mammalian Physiology Laboratory (GSI UC Berkeley - Sp 2017)

Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands (GSI UC Berkeley - F 2015, F 2016)

Invertebrate Zoology Laboratory (GSI UC Berkeley - Sp 2016)

Animal Physiology (Guest Lecturer SFSU - 2014, 2017)

Biological Oceanography (TA UW Seattle - 2012)