I teach by sharing my genuine enthusasim for subjects with students and empowering them to answer hypothesis driven scientific questions. Whether in a lab section, a field trip or a research project, I want students to leave able to design a research plan, make measurement, and develope the expertise necessary to interpret collected data. On a geophysics field trip with Northern Arizona University students, the class noticed a strange pattern in DC resistivity data. With some encouragement, they guessed it was caused by invasive tamarisk plants, tested that idea, and came away understanding both resistivity and how science actually works. That is the kind of moment I aim for in every course.
Adan Albarran Ayala: undergraduate researcher, UNR (2024–present)
Adan joined our lab to help with experiments. After seeing his enthusiasm, I encouraged him to take on a research question of his own about how sediment cover in bedrock streams changes with discharge. We designed the experiments together, met weekly, and I kept an open door for questions in between. Adan ran six experiments, learned Python to analyze his data, and is first author of the resulting manuscript, in review at JGR: Earth Surface.
Lis Roche: GEMS mentee (2024)
Through the Geosciences Education and Mentorship Support (GEMS) program, I advised Lis through graduate applications: finding programs, refining a research statement and CV, and planning outreach to potential advisors. Lis joined the Geodesign, Environment and Health graduate program at USC in fall 2025.
Dennis Garcia: NevadaTeach mentee (2022–2023)
NevadaTeach prepares undergraduates to become STEM teachers. Dennis and I designed a hands-on lesson that uses simple experiments to show how roughness affects water flow. We co-taught it 12 times in Washoe County middle-school classrooms, including Title I schools.
