I have been a member of the OSU community since 1992, first as a post-doc in Horticulture and since 2011 as an instructor and advisor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. My roles as instructor and advisor are intertwined, and I deeply value the opportunities this affords me to get to know my students well and work with them over the four years they are at OSU. I consider myself a “science facilitator”—I help my students do the science they want to.

A typical day of instruction in my teaching space whether it is an advising meeting, cohort class or lab session includes asking students questions (lots of questions) and listening to their responses. I rarely “lecture”. I try to broaden participation by having students work in small groups to discuss reflection questions and share their perspectives on resources at OSU, analyze data, and collaborate in lab sessions. I push them to think critically and gain technical and experimental design skills.

I feel fortunate to be part of a departmental team that values diversity in STEM. As a team, we collaborate to create opportunities for our students as they build a rigorous foundation in the molecular life sciences they need to pursue careers in the health professions, research, biotech and pharma industries, clinical laboratory science, education, and science policy. I hear about many of the challenges they face and work with them to find solutions. I am eager to work collaboratively as an IE@OSU Fellow to identify and implement strategies to increase inclusivity in STEM careers. I hope this community will help me frame and identify partners for an NIH undergraduate training grant proposal I plan to submit this year.

Education

Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology