Courses Taught

Comparative Biomechanics This class deals with the intersection between physics and biology, and the physics of organism morphology, function, and interactions with other organisms and their environment. This class will cover the physics and mechanics of biological materials, organ systems, feeding, locomotion, and more, with an emphasis on both the diversity of biomechanical systems and the underlying unifying principles. The course includes lectures, group discussion of scientific literature, and an individual research papers.

Digital Skills for Biologists This course teaches fundamental skills in a variety of technological areas which are useful to biologists for construction of experimental devices, research techniques, control of systems, and data analysis. Topics include programming, digital data processing, computer vision, basic electronics, Arduinos, 3D printing, and robotics. This hybrid lecture-lab class guides students through exercises and homework projects, before culminating in an individual project to produce a program or device useful to their research.

The Biology of Monsters A light-hearted non-majors course which uses monster movies to teach key concepts in biology.  Movie monsters often display exaggerations or subversions of key biological concepts such as size, parasitism, mimicry, and more.  Engaging with these concepts via popular media makes these concepts more accessible and memorable, and prompts students to think about biology in unexpected contexts.