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Courses
BI 101 General Biology
BI
107 Principles of Biology I
BI
108 Principles of Biology II
BI 209 General Genetics
Teaching
Since 2005, I have been teaching here at Montgomery College. General biology for non-majors and principles
of biology II (ecology and evolution) are among my favorite courses to
teach. I also teach principles of
biology I (cell biology and genetics) and general genetics. Often, I get really interesting questions
from my students that I had not anticipated and I learn a lot by trying to
find the answers. It is most enjoyable
when I see my students deeply engaged and having fun learning together during
activities in lecture, lab, or on a field trip.
Whenever I get the opportunity, I like to learn new things that will
enhance my teaching. In January of
2008, I had the opportunity to travel to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, to
study the natural history and geology with other science faculty members from
different institutions. I was accepted
into the Spring 2008 Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship, sponsored by the Paul
Peck Institute for the Humanities. In
August 2008, I attended the “Silencing Genomes” RNA interference workshop at
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg,
VA. I look forward to sharing my new experiences
and new lab techniques with students in my classes.
Experience
I earned my BS degree in biology from Southern College, and my PhD in
biology from Loma
Linda University.
My doctoral dissertation was entitled “Gender variation in Croton
californicus (Euphorbiaceae).” Working on my dissertation gave
me a new appreciation for the nature.
I spent a good part of two years outside counting thousands of flowers
on hundreds of plants in several populations spread across southern California.
After teaching for two years at La Sierra University in Riverside,
California, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of
California, Riverside, in the Entomology Department in the laboratory of Dan
Hare, an expert in chemical ecology and evolutionary ecology of plant-insect
interactions. We completed an
experiment examining the effects of competition on the fitness of different
trichome types (glandular versus non-glandular) in Datura wrightii (Solanaceae).
Among other activities, I completed and published a short study
comparing the physiology of the two plant phenotypes.
When my post-doctoral position ended, I taught full-time as a part-time
adjunct instructor at many community colleges in southern California. It was there that I gained much experience
working with a variety of students and colleagues at different campuses, and
I was immersed into the culture of the community college. I am pleased to come back to the
mid-Atlantic coastal states where I grew up and have family.
Research Interests
As a result of my research experiences, my main areas of research interest
include plant reproductive ecology, plant physiological ecology, and the
ecology of plant-animal interactions. I am also interested in the
genetics and evolutionary biology of plants and other organisms, as well as,
the history and philosophy of science.
For more information, please feel free to contact me.
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