Teaching

Teaching at UW-Madison, UW-Platteville Baraboo-Sauk County, and ISU

I have been fortunate to teach Intro to Geologic Structures at UW-Madison (Fall 2025), Physical Geology at UW-Platteville/Baraboo (Fall 2024), and TA a wide range of courses of different levels and topics during my graduate degrees. The time spent in these roles have allowed me to develop a passion for teaching and pedagogy, and to gain valuable experience for a future career that includes teaching.

My teaching philosophy is based on three actions:

1) Employ student-centered practices that accommodate diverse learning styles;
2) Teach transferable skills and concepts for future careers through active learning;
3) Foster student success through care and wholeness, inside and out of the classroom.

My philosophy has been built upon student-centered practices based on recognizing and adapting to the learning needs of my students and is rooted in my personal experiences as a student, teacher, and researcher in government, industry, and academia. I have found these practices help students better conceptualize and recognize the long-term importance of the course content and helps students foster a sense of belonging and excitement for learning within our community.

My teaching experience began at Iowa State University, where I was a lecture/lab assistant for Intro to Geology for Engineers, Physical Geology, and Environmental Geology. At UW-Madison, I have been able to assist in a wider range of courses. I have been a lecture/lab assistant for Geology of the National Parks, Introduction to Geologic Structures, Structural Geology, and Intro to Applied Geophysics, and was Head Teaching Assistant for the Wasatch-Uinta Field Camp for three years. During my time at UW-Madison, I was also awarded an Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award four separate times.

Recently, I have been able to take the next step from teaching assistantships to teaching, by taking a role as Lecturer in Introduction to Geologic Structures at UW-Madison (Fall 2025) and Physical Geology at UW-Platteville/Baraboo (Fall 2024). These experiences have validated my interest in teaching in addition to research, and I look forward to seeing what teaching opportunities come next.