Teaching and Mentoring
My goals as an instructor are ultimately to inspire students to cultivate and nurture their curiosities, provide them with the skills to pursue those curiosities, and most importantly to instill in them a confidence that they are capable of making valuable contributions to science. I use evidence- based methods to incorporate active learning techniques to engage students in this daunting process with the support of their peers. Using these techniques allows my students to come away with a confidence and ownership of their ability to read and understand primary literature, formulate research questions, design independent research, and build peer learning groups.
As a woman, a mother, and a person with a disability I have become acutely aware of the systems in place within academic science which funnel out diversity. Although the axes of inequity I have faced have been significant, they have opened my eyes to the privilege that has also served me, and thus my responsibility in dismantling the systems and policies that uphold it. As such, broadening the diversity of STEM is an important goal which has shaped my approach to teaching.
As a woman, a mother, and a person with a disability I have become acutely aware of the systems in place within academic science which funnel out diversity. Although the axes of inequity I have faced have been significant, they have opened my eyes to the privilege that has also served me, and thus my responsibility in dismantling the systems and policies that uphold it. As such, broadening the diversity of STEM is an important goal which has shaped my approach to teaching.
UMN Undergraduates Mentees
Jennifer Holt
Jen is a current honors student working on her senior thesis at UMN. Her work will examine previous work on the NaChr venom resistance system, and reconstruct the history of this trait in several new groups of mammals.
Jen is a current honors student working on her senior thesis at UMN. Her work will examine previous work on the NaChr venom resistance system, and reconstruct the history of this trait in several new groups of mammals.
Previous Undergraduate Mentees
Dr. Freddarla Miller
Freddie has assisted with the E.coli expression of vWF proteins, activity testing, and purification of venom proteins. She developed an independent research project examining site-directed mutants on Didelphid vWF to try to better understand which amino acids are most important in conferring resistance to Botrocetin-like toxins. Freddie is now has now graduated with her PhD in protein chemistry and is working in industry science.
Freddie has assisted with the E.coli expression of vWF proteins, activity testing, and purification of venom proteins. She developed an independent research project examining site-directed mutants on Didelphid vWF to try to better understand which amino acids are most important in conferring resistance to Botrocetin-like toxins. Freddie is now has now graduated with her PhD in protein chemistry and is working in industry science.
Cindy Nguyen
Cindy worked as a lab technician in the summer of 2015 working on biochemistry laboratory work with the vWF project. She learned many relevant biochemistry and molecular biology laboratory techniques. Cindy hopes to continue her studies and research in bio-medical sciences and pharmacology.
Cindy worked as a lab technician in the summer of 2015 working on biochemistry laboratory work with the vWF project. She learned many relevant biochemistry and molecular biology laboratory techniques. Cindy hopes to continue her studies and research in bio-medical sciences and pharmacology.
Kayla Lohman
Kayla learned molecular techniques and sequence analyses techniques in the lab over a semester. She sequenced vWF from many species of opossum as a part of a project looking at intraspecific regional polymorphism in this gene.
Kayla learned molecular techniques and sequence analyses techniques in the lab over a semester. She sequenced vWF from many species of opossum as a part of a project looking at intraspecific regional polymorphism in this gene.
Briana O’Malley
Briana was my field technician at Tulane University, New Orleans and assisted in population genetic and toxicological research on reptiles in the wake of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill. She has since gone on to do tropical field work with birds and amphibians.
Briana was my field technician at Tulane University, New Orleans and assisted in population genetic and toxicological research on reptiles in the wake of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill. She has since gone on to do tropical field work with birds and amphibians.
Ben Mauro
Ben assisted in my master's research examining the population genetic structure of marsh grasses on the Atlantic coast. He continued work in the same lab in genetics of stream fishes in Hawaii. Ben is now pursuing a master’s in public health at Tulane University.
Ben assisted in my master's research examining the population genetic structure of marsh grasses on the Atlantic coast. He continued work in the same lab in genetics of stream fishes in Hawaii. Ben is now pursuing a master’s in public health at Tulane University.
