Teaching & Outreach

Teaching

I enjoy teaching and mentoring students as I am most invigorated when I can see my efforts have left a positive impact on students who leave my class more inspired and engaged with the natural world around them.

My teaching experiences in my undergraduate and graduate career have given me opportunities to instruct students in different topics from biological, ecological, and environmental courses. The culmination of these experiences gave me the chance to co-develop an upper-level biology course where we take students on field trips to different ecosystems (e.g., reservoir, river/stream, prairie, forest) around the KU Field Station and provide them with hands-on opportunities to conduct their own research using methods used by ecologists in terrestrial and aquatic fields.

Sample of BIOL415 Course ScheduleDownload
Dr. Ted Harris and lab members teach students about reservoir ecology
Students take water quality measurements from the Kansas River
Students conduct tree surveys from low elevation the KU Field Station
Students conduct tree surveys from higher elevation
Proud students excited about completing prairie plant surveys
Dr. Bryan Foster assists students in prairie species identification
Dr. Foster with another group of students conducting field surveys
Students measure physical and chemical soil properties
Students determining soil texture using hand texturing methods

Science Outreach

One of my favorite things is science outreach! I love to share my knowledge with individuals from the local Lawrence community and beyond to gain an appreciation of prairie restoration and science through hands-on learning activities!

In-Person Activities

I am very involved in the KU EEB Graduate Student Organization (GSO)’s outreach activities that allow me to connect with local Lawrence children and their families. I was also a leader for the “Natural Walks with KU Naturalists” offered to the Girl Scouts of NE Kansas and NW Missouri to earn a variety of badges depending on the level of scouts. Other opportunities through the Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research have also allowed me to connect with local families and individuals to share information about prairie restoration.

I use my knowledge of prairie restoration to create unique outreach modules that I can use for a hands-on learning activities during science outreach events.

I created this “Match: Plant 2 Its Seed” to have individuals learn about the variety of prairie plants and their seeds my lab and I use to restore prairie. This picture is from when I participated with fellow graduate students in the Baker Wetland’s Family Fun Day in September 2021.
I created this “Restored Prairie Plant Phenology” activity to show individuals the varying times of development across prairie plants based on data I have collected with an undergraduate for their senior thesis. This activity is used for science outreach events.

I also have lead learning activities from the KU GSO EEB during science outreach events.

I was the “Strawberry DNA Extraction” activity leader for the KU Carnival of Chemistry Outreach Event in November 2019 for local elementary school children and their families. The simple DNA extraction was done by combining mashed strawberries with water, soap and cold rubbing alcohol.

I have led local Girl Scout troops on Natural Walks with my fellow KU EEB graduate students often through the public nature trails at the KU Field Station just north of Lawrence, KS.

I co-lead a Nature Walk with a fellow graduate student for a local Daisies troop at the KU Field Station in March 2021.

Virtual Activities

COVID-19 times had made in-person outreach rather tricky, but I discovered the amazing nonprofit educational organization called Skype A Scientist to connect me with classrooms, scout troops and individuals interested in science! I have been so enriched by my experience being a volunteer scientist since January 2020. I have been matched with as many as five “classrooms” a semester with students that span all ages (K-12, college, and the public). I gear all my presentations towards the interests and questions I receive from the students prior to my time with the “classroom”. These questions range from my person background that lead me to be a scientist, the ecosystem of the tallgrass prairie, plant biology/ecology in general and anything else in between. I have been matched now with ~40 classrooms from across the United States and international classrooms from Canada, China, Guatemala, and Russia!

My title slides from various presentations I have created for my Skype a Scientist “classrooms” and “Unlocking Science” Day.

Community Outreach

I have been so fulfilled by my involvement in the KU Community Garden during my time here at KU! While students have come and gone with graduation, fellow EEB graduate students and I have co-managed the Garden to focus efforts on growing healthy produce that we can donate to local food pantries like Just Food. We have donated 1500+ pounds of produce between 2019-2023.

A mid-summer harvest and service day.
A successful potato harvest.
A spring service day transplanting seedlings grown in a KU greenhouse.
A KU activities fair that KUCG tabled to gain new student members.
A bountiful harvest.
Another bountiful harvest.
A fall service day getting the Garden ready for winter.
A summer harvest and service day.
An evening summer harvest.
A successful carrot harvest.
Growing plants in raised donation beds.
A weighed summer harvest to help us keep track of donations.
Collection of pictures of the KU Community Garden from work and harvest days though the years.