So proud of Kent State Undergraduate Alexa Wagner! She gave an award-winning poster presentation of her lorikeet research- teasing apart the causes of gut microbial community differences observed in captive birds at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
Establishing a connection between people and nature is critical for long-term successes in biological conservation.
In the classroom: I aim to be a great science teacher by providing fundamental knowledge, active learning experiences, and by inspiring students with my passion for conservation and my love of science. At Ohio Northern University, I will be teaching courses including herpetology, marine biology, cell biology, introductory biology, and tropical biology (study abroad in Ecuador). My previous teaching experience included undergraduate courses in Introductory Biology, Herpetology, and Ichthyology at Case Western Reserve University, and a study abroad Tropical Ecology and Conservation Field course in Ecuador in collaboration with Grand Valley State University (GVSU). The study abroad courses at ONU and GVSU will run during alternate years and provide students with a blend of field ecology and cultural studies making for an exciting introduction to the multifaceted field that is conservation science.
I also take great pride in the undergraduate students I have mentored during their research in the field, in the lab, and abroad. For example, I taught Kent State University undergraduate (KSU) Alexa Wagner multiple molecular techniques she used in a collaborative project with KSU, The Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Alexa presented her work at KSU's and Holden Arboretum's research symposiums and was given an award for her outstanding poster presentation. Alexa then teamed up with GVSU student Alex LaValley to study sleep site fidelity in Anolis gemmosus during the 2016 Ecuador study abroad trip. Alexa and Alex just submitted their nature note for review in Herpetological Review! I could not be more proud! I also had the opportunity to mentor Laura Hill in amphibian care and husbandry, helping her to learn the skills she utilizes on a daily basis while working with critically endangered amphibians as a keeper at Henry Doorly Zoo's Amphibian Conservation Area.
I am also fortunate to mentor graduate students including GVSU Ms student Anna Harris. As adjunct at GVSU I serve as a member of Anna Harris's thesis committee. Anna is studying glassfrog abundance as a function of energy transfer in cloudforest streams at Reserva Las Gralarias, Ecuador. I also mentor Michael Monson, Ms student at Cleveland State University, in his laboratory work examining gut bacterial community structure of Masai Giraffes from Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
In the classroom: I aim to be a great science teacher by providing fundamental knowledge, active learning experiences, and by inspiring students with my passion for conservation and my love of science. At Ohio Northern University, I will be teaching courses including herpetology, marine biology, cell biology, introductory biology, and tropical biology (study abroad in Ecuador). My previous teaching experience included undergraduate courses in Introductory Biology, Herpetology, and Ichthyology at Case Western Reserve University, and a study abroad Tropical Ecology and Conservation Field course in Ecuador in collaboration with Grand Valley State University (GVSU). The study abroad courses at ONU and GVSU will run during alternate years and provide students with a blend of field ecology and cultural studies making for an exciting introduction to the multifaceted field that is conservation science.
I also take great pride in the undergraduate students I have mentored during their research in the field, in the lab, and abroad. For example, I taught Kent State University undergraduate (KSU) Alexa Wagner multiple molecular techniques she used in a collaborative project with KSU, The Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Alexa presented her work at KSU's and Holden Arboretum's research symposiums and was given an award for her outstanding poster presentation. Alexa then teamed up with GVSU student Alex LaValley to study sleep site fidelity in Anolis gemmosus during the 2016 Ecuador study abroad trip. Alexa and Alex just submitted their nature note for review in Herpetological Review! I could not be more proud! I also had the opportunity to mentor Laura Hill in amphibian care and husbandry, helping her to learn the skills she utilizes on a daily basis while working with critically endangered amphibians as a keeper at Henry Doorly Zoo's Amphibian Conservation Area.
I am also fortunate to mentor graduate students including GVSU Ms student Anna Harris. As adjunct at GVSU I serve as a member of Anna Harris's thesis committee. Anna is studying glassfrog abundance as a function of energy transfer in cloudforest streams at Reserva Las Gralarias, Ecuador. I also mentor Michael Monson, Ms student at Cleveland State University, in his laboratory work examining gut bacterial community structure of Masai Giraffes from Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
GVSU Tropical Ecology and Conservation Class of 2014. Sampling invertebrates at RLG in Ecuador. Photo by Max Spencer.
