During my time as a graduate student, I have strived to bolster and diversify my teaching experiences. I have given talks and lectures on a variety of topics from birding, ornithology, avian migration, hummingbirds, bird physiology, and bird banding and survey techniques in both professional and amateur settings. I have catered talks to all ages from middle school, high school, undergraduate, graduate, and adults. Since 2019, National Audubon's Hog Island Camp has invited me for 1-2 weeks every summer to teach and instruct for their teen programs. I have given guest lectures to undergraduate classes for Ornithology and Vertebrate Natural History. Notable programs I have given invited outreach talks to while attending Auburn include Auburn Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and Auburn COSAM Science Cafe. I believe teaching the next generation of scientists and researchers is crucial for the continuation of scientific developments and bridging the gap between science and the public. As a first-generation Ph.D. student, I hope to inspire and encourage people to pursue education in STEM regardless of their background.
Since fall 2020, I have been operating the Auburn Bird Banding Training Program that I implemented and designed with the support of Dr. Geoffrey Hill. The primary goal of this project is to teach students useful and competitive hands-on field skills applicable to avian survey and capturing techniques. These skills are helpful to wildlife and biology students who are continuing their work in the field or for future jobs. Participants learn setting up and tearing down mist nets, best practices for handling and banding birds, extraction, bird identification and behavior, using molt and plumages for aging and sexing, morphometrics, and best practices for data collection.
