Teaching
Teaching people about space is one of my favorite parts of being an astronomer. I teach several classes per year at Wesleyan University; please email me if you’re a faculty member interested in sharing materials. I've also taught and tutored physics and astronomy at the high school through graduate levels (including at the Summer Science Program, an organization dear to my heart). I try to keep my skills sharp with formal instruction in pedagogy and education research through coursework and workshops, like the CAE workshops and the AAPT Workshop for New Physics and Astronomy Faculty.
Classes taught at Wesleyan:
- ASTR105: Exploring the Cosmos (Fall 2016, Spring 2018, Fall 2021)
- ASTR155: Introductory Astronomy (Fall 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- ASTR211: Observational Astronomy (Spring 2014, 2015, 2019)
- ASTR240: Radio Astronomy (Spring 2013, Fall 2014, 2018)
- ASTR430: Pedagogy Seminar (Fall 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- ASTR431: Research Seminar (Spring 2014, 2015)
- ASTR555: Planetary Science Seminar (Fall 2014, Spring 2018, 2022)
- CIS321: Special Topics in Integrative Sciences (Fall 2018, 2019)
Science Education & Outreach
I love the challenge and fun of communicating science to non-scientists. If you’re on campus, I encourage you to stop by the Van Vleck Observatory for one of our public nights, which are free and open to everyone. The revamp of public nights into Space Nights and Kids’ Nights was funded by my recent NSF grant. I also work EPO into the astronomy curriculum at Wesleyan by teaching ASTR430: Pedagogy Seminar, a service learning course that trains students to give presentations to the public, including bringing our digital planetarium to local schools and community organizations.
In addition to assorted one-off events (like my presentations with People Behind the Science, 1MWIS, WNPR’s “Where We Live” (Twice!), Science@Cal and the Bay Area Science Festival), here are some educational initiatives I’ve worked with:
- Bryce Canyon National Park - Astro VIP program
- Harvard-Smithsonian CfA public observatory nights
- Museum of Science, Boston
Diversity
I'm also interested in issues of diversity and equality in science, particularly those that are gender-related. To that end, I recently served on the AAS Committee for the Status of Women in Astronomy (CSWA), and acted as the liaison between CSWA and the Working Group on LGBTIQA Equality (WGLE). I led the most recent update to the 20-year-old demographics survey conducted by CSWA and STScI, and I presented the results in the CSWA’s STATUS magazine and at a town hall at the 2014 AAS meeting -- slides are here.
I was an inaugural member and served a term as chair of the AAS Code of Ethics Committee, which is charged with educating the community about ethical conduct and investigating complaints related to ethical breaches.
On campus, I am the current faculty advisor for the Wesleyan Women in Science organization (WesWIS). People of all majors and genders are always welcome at our events, so please stop by!