Teaching & Outreach

I would have never been able to find my own path as a vertebrate paleontologist if it wasn't for the many wonderful teachers and educators I had helping me, both in the classroom and less formal settings. As such, I am extremely interested in utilizing my time and resources as graduate student to instruct others, in both academic and public spheres. At Pitt, I spent multiple semesters working as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, notoriously difficult classes that I would have never been as successful in, were it not for my own UTAs. In my gap year between undergraduate and graduate school, I worked as a volunteer tutor at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, where I helped adults as they prepared for the GED exams or pursued their high-school equivalency diplomas. In my first semester at KU, I taught human anatomy, and I was extremely excited to share my own experiences learning how to understand morphology and anatomy with other students as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. 

I remember how interactions at museums with paleontologists inspired me to pursue a career in the field as a child, and I am grateful for the opportunity to try my hand at inspiring the next generation of scientists now. In the Beard Lab, I mentor several undergraduate and post-baccalaureate researchers and help them to find their footing as they tackle some of their first projects. Furthermore, I am the current co-chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology GSO's Outreach Committee, and I am involved in numerous ongoing public outreach projects, including KEES (Kansas Ecosystems for Elementary Students), a program through which KU grad students teach about ecology and biology at local Title 1 elementary schools. In addition to coordinating various science nights and other outreach events, I am also one of several graduate student liaisons for KU's brand new Natural Sciences 4H club.