My teaching philosophy is focused on four key points: (1) helping students develop critical thinking skills that benefit them throughout life, (2) making connections between classroom concepts and empirical research to increase scientific literacy, (3) using creativity and multiple teaching approaches to accommodate diverse learning styles, and (4) fostering a supportive learning environment that helps students take responsibility for their own learning. With this philosophy, I have found that I am not only more effective at teaching course material, but I also find that I end up preparing students for their post-university life regardless of where their career paths take them. 

I teach the following courses at the current time:

FES 341. FOREST ECOLOGY. (3 credits, winter term) Basic physiological characteristics of trees, succession, climax, and related concepts. Vegetation classification. Stand structure, diversity, competition, growth, soils-forests interactions, biomass and nutrient distribution, energy relations, nutrient element dynamics, ecology of disturbances.

FES 452. BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN MANAGED FORESTS. (3 credits, winter term) Designed for students in forestry, wildlife, fisheries and related fields. Introduces the concepts of, and approaches to, managing forest stands, landscapes and regions to achieve desired habitat conditions for indicator species and conservation of biological diversity.

FOR 210. TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATE IDENTIFICATION AND NATURAL HISTORY. (3 credits, spring term [in person]; spring and fall terms [Ecampus]) Reviews principles used for locating, observing, and identifying terrestrial vertebrates, with an emphasis on using morphological characteristics in concert with behaviors and vegetation associations. Emphasizes on taxonomic relationships and traits used for identifying species within each terrestrial vertebrate group (i.e., birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals). Gains experience in species identification under field conditions and explores the relationship between animals and their environments.