Teaching

Approach

My goal is to equip students with adaptive and transferable skills. I use various teaching methods, including place-based investigations, real-world research experiences, and semi-flipped classrooms, to create a student-focused curriculum that enhances engagement and learning outcomes. I focus on developing students' critical thinking skills through thoughtfully designed courses, peer-to-peer learning strategies, and instruction centered on inquiry.

My teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that the scientific process is empowering.

Course Instruction

Environmental Geochemistry (EACS 240, Bates College)
- Lecture/lab focused on understanding the behavior of aqueous ions during interactions between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere and connecting these processes to local environmental examples/issues.
Past Climates and Paleoclimate Proxies (EACS 231, Bates College)
- Lecture course focused on understanding the geochemical proxies and sedimentological evidence used to reconstruct paleoclimates.
Stable Isotope Geochemistry (EACS 341, Bates College)
- Lecture course that examines the fundamental principles of stable isotope fractionation and the current state of major stable isotope proxy tools (e.g., H, O, C, N, S, and clumped).
Earth Surface Processes & Environmental Change (EACS 103, Bates College)
- Lecture/lab focused on developing skills in description of Earth's materials and spatial and temporal analysis of sedimentological environments. Course also included discussion of climate change-driven environmental change.
Introduction to Geochemistry (GEOL 3320, University of Colorado Boulder)
- Lecture/recitation course exploring formation and chemical differentiation of Earth, modification of Earth surface by chemical weathering and mineral dissolution/precipitation, and how redox biogeochemistry shapes aquatic environments.

Teaching Assistantship

Introduction to Geochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder (Spring 2017)
Introduction to Physical Geology, University of Colorado Boulder (Fall 2016)
Biogeochemical Approaches to Environmental Science, University of Puget Sound (Fall 2014)

Field Instruction

I am passionate about teaching hands-on skills and real-world applications in field settings and am committed to inclusive and accessible field-based learning experiences.

Select activities: carbonate and fluvial sediment sampling; sedimentology and stratigraphy; field mapping; lake sediment and water collection; water quality and discharge measurements; stable isotope sampling (water, carbonate, organics)

Select sites: central Nevada; Mono Lake, California; Methow Valley, Washington; Colorado Front Range; Costa Rica; British Columbia, Canada; Maine

Mentorship

Undergraduate Theses

Maddy Broda, Bates College, Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, Senior Thesis (2023)
- Analyzing Mono Basin Surface Waters for Stable Isotopes (𝛅𝟏𝟖𝐎 and 𝛅𝟐𝐇) and Major Cations to Assess Basin-Wide Evaporation and Geochemical Inputs, 61 p.
Anna Todd, University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Geological Sciences, Honors Senior Thesis (2019)
- Sedimentology and Chemostratigraphy of the Devil’s Gate Section of the Newark Canyon Formation, 77 p.

Field and Laboratory Assistants

Anna Gossard. Mono Basin Hydrology, University of Michigan. 2022-current
Yolanda Ming. Mono Basin Hydrology, University of Michigan, 2024-current
Scott Katz. Mono Basin Hydrology, University of Michigan. Spring 2024
Miraim Bartheson. Mono Basin Hydrology, University of Michigan. 2023-2024