"Teaching is the key to communicating science and is critical for securing a place for science in society."

Teaching & Mentoring

Big or little, we all have a desire to learn, experience and understand the world around us. However, the ways in which we learn and apply that knowledge are as diverse as plants in the Amazon rainforest. As a teacher and learner, I value this diversity and employ teaching practices which help different learners excel. 

​Navigating new, complex topics can be both exciting and unnerving.  As a scientist, it is the complexity of our topics that drives (and inspires) our research.  By sharing first-hand experiences and providing opportunities for dialogue and shared learning, I aim to open the eyes of my students while empowering them to use their own unique lens for exploring course content. The days of one-way, top-down teaching are outdated; with new exciting technology and increased access to content and data, I believe our teaching needs to incorporate and adapt to the real world around us. 

Just as in the Amazon, there remain new, unexplored horizons in teaching and learning and I continue to look for opportunities to enrich my world and the world of my students. Onward to new knowledge, together!

​My 2¢
on mentoring:
We all need mentors. Mentors provide guidance and support, and help us spread our wings. I am grateful to have fantastic mentors in science, academia and industry. My mentoring style is hands-on but collaborative; I thrive as part of a team and in mentoring, aim to create a team where all members are respected for what they offer. We all benefit from different perspectives and each of us brings unique skills and goals to the table. I have had the privilege of mentoring several young scientists (undergraduate and M.Sc. level) and aspiring science communicators. I look forward to more opportunities to mentor and collaborate with talented, inspiring individuals within and outside of academia.

Select Courses

Throughout graduate and my post-doctoral work I have had the opportunity to work as a course instructor, tutor and mentor. I have international teaching experience in the U.S. & New Zealand. I have given invited lectures and interviews for a range of institutions and organizations like the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, NASA, Northern Arizona University, Victoria University of Wellington, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Below are some of the online and in-person classes in which I have served as an instructor or tutor:

Contemporary Issues in Climate and Society

Course Description: This course explores contemporary issues for science and society. These five main topics covered in this online course include:
  • What is science?
  • Nature's patterns and ingredients: Their importance and wider use
  • Climate change: Science and implications
  • Gene therapy for cancer: Science and ethics
  • The psychology of everyday life: Politics, food, sport, and music.

Climate Change and New Zealand's Future

Course Description: Victoria University’s involvement with research in climate history provides the background to this course. The broad approach makes this an ideal paper for science and non-science students alike.

​The course looks at covers climate change from a variety of perspectives including:
  • the causes and effects of climate change
  • how we can tell the difference between human-caused and natural climate variability
  • greenhouse gases and the role of fossil fuel in human society
  • climate scenarios for the future and their implications
  • impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability
  • Matauranga Maori ideas and its relevance in terms of survival, ecological and cultural sustainability, and its practical application today
  • how government policy is responding to climate change
  • domestic policy responses to global climate change
  • the Kyoto protocol and its implications for NZ
  • international legal dimensions of climate change
  • a look into the near future of global climate policies

Antarctica: Unfreezing the Continent

Course Description:
Victoria University's long involvement with studies in the Antarctic provides the background to this course. Although primarily an introduction to the natural history of the Antarctic continent, many other diverse topics are covered including:
  • history of exploration of the continent
  • Antarctica's role as a recorder of past climate change and its importance in any future change in climate
  • geological history of Antarctica and the development of the ice sheets
  • history of life on the continent
  • human experience in Antarctica.
The broad approach of this course makes it ideal for science and non-science students. There are no formal laboratory sessions, but broader issues surrounding Antarctica are discussed in a series of tutorials.

The General Circulation of the Atmosphere

This course provides an overview of the circulation of the global atmosphere, the basic drivers of the climate system, including the global radiation balance, and how climate varies seasonally and from year to year.

Geomorphology

This 400-level class focuses on the "interpretation of the development, history, and significance of landforms". I was the teaching assistant for the laboratory portion of this course at Northern Arizona University from 2007-2009.