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TEACHING EXPERIENCE

As I progress in my development as a scientist, my goal is to arrive at an intersection in which both great science is being pursued and the enrichment, encouragement, and involvement of students is being fulfilled.  I feel that one of my strongest attributes is my ability to engage students and get them excited about science.  I have had the pleasure to mentor 16 undergraduate and graduate students them one-on-one a wide range of molecular techniques and analyses, research design, and fieldwork skills.  In addition, I helped my students develop and present research projects at scientific conferences, submit proposals for financial grants, and develop the critical thinking skills necessary to form independent study interests.  Most importantly, I help them gain self-confidence and a sense of personal achievement by conducting research yielding important scientific results. 

STUDENTS MENTORED

Graduate students

2017-present  Mentor, Vols for Women in STEM Mentoring Program. University of Tennessee Knoxville

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2017-present  Bruno Ghersi (Ph.D. student): Post-disaster demography of urban rats in New Orleans. University

                          of Tennessee Knoxville.

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2015-2016       Jennifer Summers (Ph.D. student): Ecosystem management and invasive species removal in Hawaiian

                          perennial streams. Tulane University

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Undergraduate students – University of Tennessee

2018-present  Hannah Evans: Detecting and delineating rare Hawaiian aquatic species with environmental DNA. 

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Undergraduate students – Tulane University

2016-2017       Meghan Sekiya: Species delineation and population genetics of parasitic worms in sculpins.

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2016                 Emily Brady: Invasive species induced genetic changes in a Hawaiian endemic amphidromous fish, Awaous                               stamineus.

 

2015-2016       Sean Deery: Invasive species induced genetic changes in a Hawaiian endemic amphidromous fish, Awaous                                 stamineus.

 

2015-2016       Sara Hays: Landscape genetics of Schistocephalus solidus parasites in threespine sticklebacks from Alaska.

 

Undergraduate students – Clemson University

2014-2015       Rebecca Helstern: Allelic and copy number variation of melanocortin receptor 4 in  poeciliid fishes. Creative I                           Inquiry.

 

2013-2014       Emily O’Conner: Modeling population demographic responses to climate change: Sicyopterus stimpsoni.                                     Creative Inquiry.

 

2013-2014       Taylor Burgess: Modeling population demographic responses to climate change: Sicyopterus stimpsoni.                                       Creative Inquiry.

 

2011-2012       Parag Raychoudhury: Using mitochondrial genes for phylogenetic studies in a Hawaiian stream goby:                                         Sicyopterus stimpsoni. Creative Inquiry & Calhoun Honor’s College.

 

2010-2012       Hannah Warren: Population genetics of a Hawaiian non-climbing Hawaiian goby, Stenogobius hawaiiensis.                                   Creative Inquiry.

 

2010-2011       Samuel Powell: Population genetics of the waterfall-climbing Hawaiian goby, Sicyopterus stimpsoni. Creative                               Inquiry.

 

2009-2011       Jonatha Giddens: Morphological plasticity in the waterfall-climbing Hawaiian goby, Sicyopterus stimpsoni.                                     Student at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

 

2008-2011       Sabrina Hunter: Population genetics of the waterfall-climbing Hawaiian goby, Sicyopterus stimpsoni.                                             Creative Inquiry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Science Foundation Research Experience for                                   Undergraduates.

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2011                    Abbey Garrison: Population genetics of the waterfall-climbing Hawaiian goby, Sicyopterus stimpsoni. Creative                             Inquiry.

 

2010-2011       Sylvia Lee: Estimates of population connectivity using otolith microchemistry in goby Hawaiian goby species.                             Creative Inquiry.

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COURSES TAUGHT​​​​

2017                Guest Lecturer, Trinity University, Biology Senior Seminar, Aquatic conservation and mitigation strategies.

2016                Guest Lecturer, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, BIOL176 Introductory Biology II, Conservation in a changing climate.

2015                Guest Lecturer, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, BIOL446 Genetics, Genomic Evolution.

2015                Understanding Genetics and Evolution Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

2014                Evolutionary Biology Co-Instructor, Clemson University. Macroevolution Unit (8 lectures and final exam).

2014                Guest Lecturer, Clemson University, BIOL3350 Evolutionary Biology, Phylogenetics.

2014                Guest Lecturer, Clemson University, BIOL 7300 Basics of Molecular Genetics, Bioinformatics.

2013                Guest Lecturer, Clemson University, BIOL3350 Evolutionary Biology, Phylogenetics.

2013                Evolutionary Biology Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

2013                SC Life Inquiry in Science Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

2013                Behavioral Ecology Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

2012                Vertebrate Biology Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

2012                Understanding Genetics and Evolution Teaching Assistant, ClemsonUniversity.

2011                Guest Lecturer, Clemson University, BIOL3350 Evolutionary Biology Phylogenetics,  Hominin Evolution.

2011                Evolutionary Biology Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

2011                Genetic Sleuthing Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

2010                Behavioral Ecology Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

2010                Vertebrate Biology Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

2009                Evolutionary Biology Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

2008                Vertebrate Biology Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Clemson University.

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