Teaching

My approach to teaching students is largely inspired by the liberal arts pedagogy I benefited from as an undergraduate. These methods emphasize melding theory and practice in a way that translates well to lab settings even at large research institutions. In my Synthetic Biology International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) course, I served as a mentor and teaching assistant and taught the fundamentals of biochemistry and molecular biology by directly connecting lectures to both the laboratory practicum and the iGEM students’ project. I found this approach effectively helped students understand not just the concepts and laboratory skills but also allowed them to develop a perspective for a much larger effort, ultimately winning several medals at the international competition. I would be excited to take part in iGEM once more as it not only allows students to engage with cutting-edge research but also to enter the scientific community with an organization that rewards both scientific acumen and civic engagement.

Mentorship

I largely attributed my interest in becoming an academic to the strong mentorship I received as a student. As a result, I have always been eager to volunteer for opportunities to mentor students. Throughout my career, I have mentored three junior graduate students in my lab and formally and informally mentored seven undergraduate students, not including the dozens of students that were part of my iGEM team. As a mentor, I have always focused on understanding the needs of the students under my tutelage. One of the greatest challenges I have encountered stems from each student’s varying levels of experience, which places an emphasis on identifying which students require more hands-on direction compared to general guidance. The cornerstone of my approach has always been to make myself readily available to my students and to ensure that they know I am always available for anything from simple questions to rectifying mistakes. As someone who loves to discuss science, I nurture my students’ interest and monitor their progress by encouraging frequent casual meetings in between more formalized presentations and reports. I have found that providing feedback on a student’s ability to describe their work either through talks or written reports allows me to effectively steer a project and provides them with a more holistic view of the mechanics and purpose of their work.