My primary focus is in teaching, with more than 10 years of teaching experience working with university students in classrooms, labs, and in the field. As a plant ecologist, I incorporate global research such as the Nutrient Network to introduce students to relevant applications in science while addressing issues of broad concern. More locally, I have participated in grassland restoration, providing field and classroom instruction to biology and non-biology students as well as the general public. Through these and other projects, my research focuses on how herbivores affect diversity in plant communities, using empirical and theoretical approaches in the context of ecological restoration and conservation.