My teaching philosophy centers on forming a connection between students and myself and establishing a welcoming learning community to explore scientific concepts. Research demonstrates that when connection forms between students and their instructor, students participate and engage more in class (1,2) and are able to adapt to challenging course circumstances (3). To this end, I learn the names of my students and call them by name in class, engage in small talk to learn about their interests and hobbies, and create community agreements with my classes at the start of each course to ensure students know I value the student/instructor connection and will protect the community culture of the class. I also build engaging active learning lessons to teach difficult concepts as well as implement growth mindset (4) and metacognition (5) mini lessons throughout my classes to remind students of their potential and encourage them to reflect on their learning.

My research is well-suited to the creation of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE) for advanced Biochemistry Labs (6). I am in the process of developing a CURE in which third or fourth year chemistry and biochemistry majors identify an enzyme homologue derived from a metagenomic sample of the microbiome and biochemically express and characterize that enzyme over the course of a semester. This course teaches fundamental concepts in laboratory research, bioinformatics, molecular biology, structural biology, biochemistry, and biochemical assay development, culminating with a legitimate final project of a ACS Biochemistry Communication that will be worked on throughout the semester.