Collecting monkeyflowers in the Sierra Nevada |
Welcome! I am an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I study impactful and meaningful experiences in teaching and learning from joy-centered pedagogy to graduate student teaching professional development and course-based research experiences. I believe every student can find joy in the learning process! My goal is to use integrative qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how meaningful experiences and collaboration promotes an ecosystem of joyful learning in biology.
I am fascinated with the intimate history and future significance of symbiotic relationships between plant hosts and their microbial communities. I am trained as a fungal evolutionary biologist and microbial ecologist––appreciating the resilience of plant microbial communities as they shift in response to climate change. I received my master's in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the Desjardin lab at San Francisco State University studying the evolution of wood decaying mushrooms (Marasmius) from Madagascar. For more about Madagascar, check out my blog, ShayShrooms. I received my Ph.D. in the Quantitative and Systems Biology Program at the University of California, Merced, advised Sexton and Frank. This interdisciplinary team has set out to uncover the mystery behind the Monkeyflower microbiome and discover whether these microbes influence their plant hosts across its range. Previously, I served as the Associate Director for the Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning in the Teaching Commons at UC Merced, where I utilize my experience in pedagogy and biology education to help instructors create inclusive STEM courses to uplift all student experiences. Now, I combine my love for teaching and biology to promote student success at UCSB! Come take a class with me! I teach introductory biology, fungal biology, and pedagogy at all levels! |
