TEACHING & OUTREACH
K12 Student Outreach
As a member of the RPI Engineering Ambassadors (EA), I presented to local schools on tissue engineering, highlighting organ transplants and medical devices. Students were given basic information on material properties and organ functionality, then encouraged to design their own organ replacements using common art supplies. We sought out schools with weak STEM programs or those located in low-income areas to expose these students to the excitement of engineering through active learning. Each time I gave these interactive lectures, bored students transformed into excited potential engineers before my eyes.
This program has been replicated at Cornell University in the Biomedical Engineering Society's Girl Scout Engineering Day, which reached over 200 young girls. I have delivered this activity to schools across New York and Massachusetts, ranging from elementary to high school students.
Creativity is key in developing innovative solutions to engineering problems. To enhance creativity and promote effective engineering education, we need to empower women and underrepresented minorities in the STEM fields while simultaneously developing engaging all students through active learning activities.
In addition to organ design, I also deliver workshops focused on creating new prosthetics. Originally designed for the Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) program at Cornell, a national program to stimulate interest in STEM in middle-school aged girls, students use popsicle sticks and rubber bands to explore the roles of bones and muscles in our body. To highlight my own research, I developed a three-session course through the Graduate Student School Outreach Program (GRASSHOPR). Students learn about the biomineralization process associated with bone formation and participate in in-class games which demonstrate the disease progression of osteoporosis. To facilitate the creation of more active learning activities, I have facilitated workshops for my department and am happy to share resources with those interested. For protocols, presentations, and any questions, please contact me.
Higher Education Teaching Experiences
As a GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) fellow, I designed and delivered several lectures in a graduate level course at Cornell entitled “Engineering the Microbiome” in 2017 and 2019. These lectures included a critical examination of probiotics, prebiotics, and fecal microbiota transplants. I also incorporated intellectual property and FDA regulation topics into my lectures, based on my own experience in this area. To enhance critical thinking in students, I incorporated an in-class debate regarding controversial topics within the course.
Educational Research
With the goal of improving education and providing unbiased information to my students, I am currently conducting educational research. Specifically, I am examining the use of debates as a method to introduce controversial topics without bias. Data was collected from graduate-level lectures in 2017 and 2019. A preliminary report was delivered to at the WE18 Society of Women Engineers Annual Meeting and a full report will be forthcoming.