As an educator, it is important to me to create an environment in and outside of the classroom that facilitates learning.

I am also a passionate teacher and have particular liking to involve students in hands-on research so that they would get a deeper understanding of science and society.

I feel that it’s my duty to give back to society the gift of knowledge that I have received.

Study Abroad:

I have taken undergraduate students (honors and non-honors) from University of Arkansas, Fayetteville to Neo-tropics to teach them Tropical Ecology. The main topics that I cover are related to Tropical biology, Ecology, Ornithology, Herpetology.

    • Belize – Coastal Caribbean Biology 
    • Trinidad and Tobago
    • Costa Rica
      • Watch me Catch Black-tailed Indigo snake while canoeing down Macal River. The snake was used to teach students about its Natural history, Taxonomy, ecology.

Courses I have taught:

  • Ecology and Evolution
  • Organismal Biology and Ecology
  • Principles of Biology
  • Microbiology
  • Human Physiology
  • Human Anatomy
  • Principles of Biology

As a graduate student I was invited to teach a lecture course at the University of Arkansas. I have taught classes as small as 15 students to as large as 225 students. 

I strive to make my courses and my teaching strategy as inclusive as possible while ensuring that I am available to students when needed.

Innovative Teaching Methods I use:

  • Flipped Classroom
  • Brainstorming Sessions- promote critical thinking
  • Active use of primary literature
  • Group Projects
  • Use of Taxidermy/live specimens/ fossils/ Animal bones, fur etc. 
  • End of Week assignments – to help retain material covered that week
  • Focus on helping students develop writing strategies
  • Audio-visual aids

Graduate, Undergraduate, and High-School students guided:

  • Guiding 2 Graduate students on studying arthropod-habitat relationship. Understanding the effect of urbanization on arthropod diversity
  • Guiding 7 undergraduate students on various research projects.
  • Guided a graduate student (University of Arkansas) in completing his master’s thesis after sudden demise of his degree advisor.
  • Guided one undergraduate student from University of Arkansas, Fort Smith on developing a research project on snake venom and its bio-medical applications.
  • Guided two undergraduate students from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville on use of Marasmius for nest building in Neotropics.
  • Guided one High-School student conduct a study on heat conducting properties in Marasmius
  • Guided a student from University of Arkansas, Fort-Smith on Swainson’s Thrush foraging ecology. The work was published in Arkansas Academy of Sciences.
  • Guided a PhD student (2015), had taught a PhD student (CCMB-CSIR), field biology techniques and guidance on setting up field sites.
  • Have guided multiple graduate students with analyzing their data with various statistical methods such as Multivariate Statistics, GLM, GLMR, Random Forest, GIS etc.

A few special memories captured:

Nominated for Outstanding First Year Faculty at Bradley University

Nominated for Hillman Yowell Award for Excellence in Teaching by the University of Arkansas

My student won 1st Prize in Student Conference on Conservation Science (SCCS) 2022.

My student won 1st Prize in Illinois State Academy of Science Conference 2022.

My students presented at Bradley Student Expo 2022

3 of my students presented at Tri-Beta NC-1 Conference 2022

Student Evaluations:

Course and TA evaluations: Course Evaluations 2017- 2019

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In Belize while teaching the Study Abroad “Coastal Caribbean Biology Course”. Caught a 7 feet long snake while canoeing down Macal River. The snake was used to teach students about its Natural history, Taxonomy, ecology.

Song prepared by the Study Abroad “Coastal Caribbean Biology Course” students for their Ecology Class.