Teaching Philosophy I believe teaching is an integral part of every student's professional development. Passing knowledge on to the next generation allows one to further their mastery of any specific field and do their part to help educate future minds. Especially in a subject as hands-on and applied as microbiology, a lab allows students to interact with what's going on at the cellular and molecular level, and apply the information that they receive during lecture. I try to maintain an inclusive environment in the lab by interacting with all of my student's as much as possible and giving each of them a variety of learning opportunities. I think an individualistic approach to teaching can become possible when there are several undergraduate teaching assistants in a lab simultaneously. Many students can become self-conscious during a large lab, so more intimate contact can ensure that students are comfortable with the fundamentals, before applying them to more nuanced learning experiences. Microbiology in and of itself is a field that can lead to so much innovation. Through genetic engineering, combating antibiotic resistance, biotechnology and applied biochemistry students can expand their fields of interest and pursue so many different careers. Its a field I'm passionate about and am honored to be able to intruct in.

Currently working in a lab specializing in gram-positive pathogens. I have worked with Streptococcus mutans in the past seeking to identify factors leading to competition among several streptoccocal oral species. Currently I am working with the plasmid pkk30 and several other DNA inserts to quantify nitric oxide for various experiments within Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA strains.