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I am an experienced educator with a broad background in applied ecological research within both terrestrial and marine systems, who is deeply committed to crafting meaningful coursework that utilizes experiential opportunities to cultivate student engagement and growth.  I have over ten years of experience teaching an array of biological sciences within a diversity of cultures (e.g., Thailand, Maui, South Texas, Utah, and Arizona).  Currently I am employed as tenure-track Residential Life Science faculty at Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) located in Avondale, Arizona, USA.  This spring 2018, I was awarded the annual EMCC Faculty Service Award for organizing an “Alternative Spring Break,” for students to conduct a BioBlitz Inventory at a local wetland, as well as orchestrating the construction of a community teaching garden on our campus.   
COURSES I HAVE INSTRUCTED:
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UNDERGRADUATE COURSES:
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  • General Biology II (for Science Majors): Evolution, Ecology,  and Conservation (BIO 182)
  • Environmental Biology (BIO 105)
  • Natural History of the Desert Southwest (BIO 109)
  • Plant and Animal Populations (WILD 3810 online)
  • Monitoring and Assessment in Environmental Resource Management (WILD 4750)    
 
GRADUATE COURSES:
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  • Population State Variables (WILD 6401)
  • Demographic Vital Rates (WILD 6402)  
  • Dynamics of Structured Populations (WILD 6403). 
 
PUBLIC SECONDARY SCIENCE AND MATH:
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  • Advanced Placement Biology
  • Introduction to Biology I and II
  • Environmental Science Fieldwork
  • Hawaiian Flora and Fauna
  • Integrated Physics and Chemistry
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology
  • Physics
  • Math Projects 
  • Life Science
  • Physical Science
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EDUCATION:
                    
Ph.D. in Ecology, Wildlife Biology Specialization, G.P.A. 4.0.  Aug 2013 – Aug 2017          
Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA; Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center
  • Awarded Presidential Doctoral Research Fellowship (https://rgs.usu.edu/pdrf/)
  • My dissertation research focused on integrating black bear behavior, spatial ecology, and population dynamics to inform bear conservation and management in northwestern New Jersey, USA.
 
M.S. in Wildlife Biology, G.P.A. 4.0.  May 2002 – May 2005 
The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA; College of Forestry and Conservation
  • Awarded Boone and Crockett Research Assistantship
  • My thesis research measured cause-specific mortality rates of calf elk in response to recolonizing wolves and manipulated cougar densities in west-central Montana, USA.
 
B.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences, Conservation Biology, G.P.A 3.89.  Jan 1998 – Dec 2001 
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA; Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences
  • Magna Cum Laude Honors
HONORS:
 
Awarded the Faculty Service of the Year Recognition at Estrella Mountain Community College.  Spring 2018
 
Awarded the Robins Award for Utah State University Graduate Student Teacher of the Year.  Spring 2017
 
Awarded Graduate Instructor of the Year for the Quinney College of Natural Resources at USU.  Spring 2016
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