TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Most college graduates leave with transcripts that document what they studied, but little evidence of what they can do. Higher education has a credibility problem. Ninety-one percent of employers report that “a demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than a candidate’s undergraduate major,” yet fewer than one-third believe recent graduates are well prepared in critical thinking, written and oral communication, or the application of knowledge to real-world settings (AAC&U, 2015).

Students come to college expecting to develop the very skills employers value, believing a university education will prepare them for meaningful work, competitive salaries, and long-term success. That disparity between what students expect and what higher education too often fails to deliver shapes every course I teach.

My responsibility is not simply to teach animal behavior, research methods and statistics, or one of the behavioral neuroscience courses. It is to develop professionals. That development is a partnership. I provide guidance, mentorship, opportunities, and expectations, but students must commit to that mentorship, say “yes” to those opportunities, and embrace the learning process through time and effort. Those who do, leave my classes able to ask meaningful questions, communicate with clarity, analyze data, present themselves professionally, build a curriculum vitae, network effectively, manage their time, and translate scientific thinking into careers that span research, healthcare, conservation, education, industry, and hopefully, conservation.

Every assignment has a purpose beyond earning a grade. Students write because clear writing produces clear thinking. They present their work because ideas only matter when they can be communicated. They conduct original research because confidence comes from solving real problems rather than completing artificial exercises. Whether they’re recording electroencephalographic signals or underwater spectrograms of midshipman calls, designing a website to communicate science, or a designing methodology for a field study, they’re building a portfolio of experiences that demonstrates what they can do, not simply what they know.

I cannot teach curiosity, talent, grit, or persistence, but I can cultivate the conditions in which they grow. I can provide the tools that foster self-awareness, resilience, clear communication, professional etiquette, and the confidence to step toward uncertainty, recognizing that the moments which demand the most of us often reveal the greatest opportunities for growth. A university education should not be measured by what students remember. It should be measured by what they can build, solve, explain, and contribute.

Higher education is failing our students.

Behavioral Ecology

Course Description

How do scientists know an ecosystem is beginning to fail before animals disappear? Why would sea lions suddenly abandon a haul-out, river otters stop feeding at long-used latrines, or western gray squirrels disappear from habitat that appears perfectly suitable? Increasingly, the answer lies in behavior.

Animal behavior explores how evolution, ecology, development, and learning shape the decisions animals make—from finding food and avoiding predators to choosing mates, raising offspring, and responding to environmental change. Because behavior often changes before populations decline, it provides one of our earliest and most powerful windows into ecosystem health. Drawing from behavioral ecology, psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, this interdisciplinary course is cross-listed in Biology and Psychology and combines classroom learning with extensive field research. Students develop the observational skills, behavioral sampling techniques, and experimental methods used by professional behavioral ecologists before designing and conducting their own studies. Laboratory sessions take place on campus and at regional field sites, including Fernhill Wetlands, the Oregon Zoo, Harmony Farm, and other natural habitats, where students collect behavioral data, test hypotheses, and analyze their findings.

Throughout the semester, students collaborate on authentic behavioral ecology and conservation research projects, investigating western gray squirrels, California sea lions, underwater noise, wildlife road ecology, habitat restoration, and other contemporary conservation challenges. Because animal behavior is inherently interdisciplinary, students integrate concepts from biology, psychology, ecology, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, and art while strengthening their oral, written, graphical, and data visualization skills.

Neuroscience Courses

Course Description

Why are PFAS (“forever chemicals”) associated with declining fertility in humans and wildlife? Why can hormone replacement therapy transform one person’s quality of life while increasing health risks for another? Why did ranchers discover that mares grazing on alfalfa infected with black patch fungus became infertile? Why do anabolic steroids increase muscle mass while also altering mood, aggression, and fertility?

Behavioral endocrinology explores how hormones regulate reproduction, metabolism, aggression, learning, memory, biological rhythms, and countless other aspects of behavior, while asking how behavior and the environment alter the endocrine system in return. Throughout the course, we examine contemporary issues including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, infertility, hormone replacement therapy, endocrine disorders, and environmental contaminants. Along the way, we discover how observations in horses, rodents, birds, fish, and other animals have led to some of our most important advances in human medicine and environmental health.

Course Description

Why do some people see colors when they hear music, lose the ability to recognize familiar faces, or continue to feel pain in a limb that no longer exists? How can a bloodhound identify a single person’s scent days after they have left, salmon return to the very stream where they were born using smell alone, rattlesnakes detect the body heat of a mouse in complete darkness, and barn owls locate prey with astonishing precision using sound?

Sensation and perception explores how the brain transforms information from vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and other sensory systems into our experience of the world. Rather than simply recording reality, the nervous system actively interprets, filters, and sometimes misinterprets sensory information, shaping everything we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. Throughout the course and the laboratory, we compare the remarkable sensory systems of humans and other animals to discover how evolution has produced extraordinary solutions to the challenges of finding food, avoiding predators, communicating, and interacting with the environment. Along the way, we investigate the neurobiology of vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and perception through lectures, laboratories, discussions, and empirical writing.

Course Description

Why do some people thrive under stress while others develop anxiety? Why do birds navigate thousands of miles, octopuses solve complex problems, or prairie voles form lifelong pair bonds?

Behavioral neuroscience explores how the nervous system, hormones, genes, and evolution shape the way humans and other animals think, feel, and behave. Throughout the course, we examine behavior from the level of cells and neurotransmitters to cognition, emotion, and social interactions, using insights from both humans and other species to understand how brains have evolved to solve the challenges of survival and reproduction. Note: This course includes a laboratory component. We conclude the semester with the Annual Brain Drain competition, where you’ll put your knowledge to the test in a fast-paced, comprehensive challenge. Any student who answers every question correctly earns an automatic A in the course.

Scientific Research

Course Description

How do scientists know whether a new medication is safe? How can we tell whether artificial intelligence actually improves learning? Why do headlines about the same scientific study sometimes reach completely different conclusions?

Research Methods and Statistics I is the foundation of scientific inquiry, introducing the principles, tools, and habits of mind scientists use to answer empirical questions. Throughout the semester, students learn how to transform curiosity into evidence by developing testable hypotheses, designing meaningful studies, collecting reliable data, applying statistical analyses, and communicating their findings with clarity, precision, and integrity. This professional development course is the first half of a year-long sequence (PSY 300–301) that mirrors the way science is actually conducted. Through lectures, workshops, collaborative activities, and flipped-classroom exercises, students develop the skills to ask important questions, evaluate scientific evidence, interpret data, and communicate their findings to both scientific and public audiences.

The accompanying laboratory functions as a collaborative research team led by a principal investigator. Students work together to design and develop an original research project that continues throughout the academic year, gaining experience with study design, data collection, statistical analysis, scientific writing, and professional communication. Because each concept builds on the last, consistent participation in both lecture and laboratory is essential to success.

Course Description

Why do some scientific studies reshape an entire discipline while others become cautionary tales? How do psychologists distinguish discoveries that stand the test of time from those undermined by flawed methods, questionable statistics, or ethical failures?

Research Methods and Statistics II builds on the methodological and statistical foundation established in PSY 300 by examining the germinal research that shaped behavioral science. Throughout the semester, students read, present, and critique foundational papers, exploring the good, the bad, and the ugly of behavioral science. Some revolutionized our understanding of behavior and continue to influence modern research. Others exposed methodological weaknesses, statistical shortcomings, ethical failures, or conclusions that could not withstand scientific scrutiny. Together, these landmark contributions reveal how scientific knowledge advances through skepticism, replication, and self-correction.

There are no traditional lectures. Instead, students lead discussions of two foundational papers each week, placing each in its historical context while evaluating its methodology, statistical analyses, ethical considerations, strengths, limitations, and lasting influence on the field. The laboratory continues the collaborative research projects initiated in PSY 300, emphasizing data analysis, scientific writing, peer review, and professional communication. Students refine their empirical writing, interpret and communicate their findings, and complete an original research project culminating in a professional conference presentation, scientific poster, and public-facing science communication.

Course Description

Foundational Course

Course Description