MMSA Title: STEM Education Specialist
Hometown: Lee, New Hampshire
Education: Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from the University of New Hampshire, NH Life Sciences 7-12 Teaching Certification
What is your teaching/learning philosophy: I am passionate about prioritizing and nurturing curiosity. We start our lives as natural scientists – we explore, ask questions, observe, and experiment, but oftentimes we lose touch with those practices as we get older. As educators, we have the unique opportunity to help foster and maintain that love of discovery in our students, and one of the most important ways to do that is by modeling it and actively cultivating it in ourselves. I believe that empowering others to become lifelong learners helps create a world with more capable problem-solvers and more reflective, thoughtful human beings.
STEM passion area: I am someone who is equally fascinated by the micro and the macro, and especially how the two influence one another. I’m drawn to the intricate mechanisms of genetics and how they ripple outward to shape ecosystem dynamics, behavioral systems, and biological evolution. I find that thinking about biology through these interconnected lenses helps me appreciate the marvel that is life on this planet, and reveals both the elegance of the tiny details and the wonder of the big picture.
What did you do before you worked at MMSA: I worked as a high school science teacher in international schools in Thailand, Vietnam, the Bahamas, and Costa Rica. I have also worked as a naturalist guide in Montana, an outdoor educator in New Hampshire and Vermont, and an organic farmer here in Maine.
What do you like to do in your free time: I am an avid traveler and am grateful that I have been able to both visit and live in countries all around the world. I love spending time outdoors – hiking, swimming, camping, fishing, boating, gardening, walking my dog, you name it! I enjoy cooking (and eating!), I am a big reader, and I recently started dabbling in watercolor painting.
Favorite STEM-related memory: When I taught in Costa Rica, I spearheaded a capstone project for my 11th grade students which involved traveling to a remote biological research station in the jungle of the Osa peninsula. Seeing the untouched canopy of lush greenery sweeping down to the emerald ocean and volcanic black beaches, with scarlet macaws flying overhead, was like something out of a dream (or the movie Jurassic Park). Over the course of the week, we would mist-net bats, trek to see wild tapirs, perform hermit crab surveys, and watch troops of monkeys crack open coconuts on the beach. I was so lucky to get to take part in these experiences, but what made it so special was getting to share them with my students and to watch them find such joy in the natural world and scientific field work.
Pronouns: she, her
Email: all emails are first initial last name at mmsa.org
