Teaching

I find teaching rewarding, and I have enjoyed diverse teaching opportunities. My approach to teaching is evidence-based, in that I incorporate best practices from the education literature, and process-oriented, in that I aim to help students understand the whole process of science, rather than just the outcomes.
I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm with students, and have received multiple awards for teaching. Examples of my teaching experiences include:

• Co-instructor for Animal Behavior, a ~100 person course
  
• TA for Animal Behavior labs, General Biology labs, and Genetics
  
• Curriculum development for labs and teachable units
• Instructor for the Ants of the Southwest undergrad and grad level field course

Mentoring

Zach Dix with me in the field at Biosphere 2

Jenna Bilek studies urban ants

Mentoring is a vital component of the scientific process, and like other aspects of science, it’s a skill that can be improved. I’ve put a lot of effort into developing as a mentor. This includes taking a semester-long course on mentorship and leadership, which I then led the following year. With other course leaders and participants, I published original research on mentoring in STEM (link). I’ve enjoyed working in the field and in the lab with undergraduate research assistants, who make important contributions to my work!