Science Education

Teaching Module Development

Macrosystems EDDIE (Environmental Data-Driven Inquiry and Exploration)

Virginia Tech

While at Virginia Tech, I have been involved with the Macrosystems EDDIE project. Macrosystems EDDIE is a project led by Dr. Cayelan Carey to develop stand-alone teaching modules which guide students through the use of high-frequency data and ecosystem modelling to make and test hypotheses about how lake ecosystems will change in the future. As part of this project, I have helped develop teaching modules (Module 4: Macro-scale feedbacks) as well as publish pedagogical results from module testing (Carey et al. 2020; Hounshell et al. In Prep).

Credit: C. Carey, VT

SciREN (Scientific Education and Research Network)

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Credit: K. Irish, UNC-CH

While a graduate student at UNC-CH I was also involved with SciREN; a non-profit started by UNC-CH graduate students to help scientists turn their research into hands-on lesson plans for local K-12 educators. As a SciREN participant, I developed and presented two teaching modules to North Carolina Educators as part of the annual SciREN Networking events:

A lesson plan developed for upper-level high school students on changes in nitrogen loading to estuarine ecosystems. The lesson plan includes primary reading activities, discussion based-learning activities, and developed worksheets to guide comprehension. <The Nitrogen Cycle>
A lesson plan developed for middle school students on phytoplankton in estuaries and how we can use techniques in the laboratory to measure things we cannot see (Co-developed with Olivia Torano). <One, two, skip a few>

Teaching Experience

Biology 6064 - Carbon Cycling Across Aquatic Ecosystems

Virginia Tech

Instructor of Record, Spring 2021

Marine Science 470 - Estuarine Science

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Graduate Research Coordinator, Fall 2018

Marine Science 220 - North Carolina Estuaries: Environmental Processes and Problems

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Graduate Research Coordinator, Summer 2018

Marine Science 310 - Our Changing Planet: Science, Societal Impacts, Solutions

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Spring 2015

Marine Science 52 - First Year Seminar

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Fall 2014

Community Engagement

UNder the C Blog

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

While at UNC - Chapel Hill, I was a regular contributor and co-organizer for UNder the C, a blog founded and maintained by Marine Science graduate students at UNC - Chapel Hill. Contributed blog topics ranges from Do's and Don'ts of Scientific Presentations to hot-off-the-press paper reviewers, all geared towards a general audience. As part of UNder the C, I also helped graduate and undergraduate students write and publish blog posts and co-hosted a 'Scientific Blogging' workshop at UNC - Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences.

Scientist Liaison, Sierra Club in Venice, FL

Mote Marine Laboratory

While at Mote Marine Laboratory, I helped develop, implement, and organize a community science program with the Venice, Florida chapter of the Sierra Club to help a local community monitor algal blooms in their neighborhood ponds. This included developing sampling protocols and conducting a training session for interested participants.