Teaching
I teach courses for undergraduates and graduate students in Biology and Environmental Studies. Here are the courses I am currently offering at VCU.
- Water (ENV 391) is a new course that will become part of the core curriculum for undergraduates in Environmental Studies . The course provides a Mountains to the Sea perspective on water processes across the landscape. Students taking this course will gain an understanding of the ecological functioning of streams, rivers, lakes, estuaries and oceans.
- Water Pollution (ENV 591) is a team-taught course with Dr. Greg Garman . I cover topics related to water resource management, water quality and eutrophication. Greg lectures on biomonitoring. Class activities include lectures, computer labs and student presentations.
- River & Estuarine Ecology (ENVS 691) integrates hydrology, geomorphology and ecology to provide an integrated perspective on ecosystem functioning. Class activities include lectures, computer labs and discussion of assigned readings.
My courses emphasize quantitative approaches – statistics, modeling and graphical analyses – as a way of understanding environmental processes and building problem-solving skills. I try to provide students with tools for quantitative analyses and stress their utility without over-stressing the students.