I have broad teaching experience in classroom, field, and informal settings at both the university and high school levels. Among other activities, I have designed and taught two new university courses, mentored undergraduate and Master’s thesis students, and founded an afterschool environmental education program for at-risk high school students. In 2021, I received the Norman K. Wessells Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest teaching award offered to graduate students in the Stanford biology department (one annual award per ~150 graduate students). 

Teaching

Courses taught at Oregon State University:
  • ENSC 101 Environmental Science Orientation
  • ENSC 452 / GEOG 452/552 Environmental Assessment
  • ENSC 479 Environmental Case Studies

Courses designed and taught at Stanford University:
  • Science for Conservation Policy: Meeting California's Pledge to Protect 30% by 2030 (Winter 2022)
  • Ornithology (Spring 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) 

Teaching assistant, Stanford University
  • Introduction to Ecology (Fall 2017)
  • Conservation Biology: A Latin American Perspective (Spring 2017)

Students mentored
  • Julien Ueda, MS thesis in Biology: Long-term avian responses to climate change and urbanization in the San Francisco Bay Area
  • Jules Wyman, BS senior thesis in Biology: Climate and urbanization impacts to Sonoran Desert lizard communities
  • Martin Freeland, high school research project: Pollination patterns by Green-backed Firecrown Hummingbirds

Outreach
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Menlo-Atherton Ecology Research Outdoors (MERO)
I founded the MERO science program in 2017 with my wife Ahzha McFadden, who was at the time a teacher at Menlo-Atherton High School. MERO is a free, after-school environmental education program for high school English Language Learners. Our unique year-round program engages students in real, hands-on ecological research in an outdoor setting. Through regular field trips and long-term mentorship, MERO program provides a fun and supportive community for underserved teens while helping them gain the academic, communication, and life skills needed to excel in high school and beyond. 
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Visit the MERO program website to learn more.
K-12 Presentations
I regularly present guest lessons at local high schools. Example topics have included:
  • Environmental Degradation and Social Conflict
  • Biodiversity Loss in Latin America
  • World Geography for English Language Learners
  • Ethical Action and Advocacy in Response to the Amazon Fires
    • This project culminated in a visit to Stanford campus where high school Latin American Studies students presented their “Guidelines for Ethical Action, Service, and Outreach” to Stanford students and faculty.
SOAR - San Francisco Bay Research Coordination Network for Student Opportunityes in Avian Research.
I am a founding member and co-author of a new NSF-funded Research Coordination Network focused on enhancing field opportunities for undergraduate students through the lens of ornithology. More info at: www.soarnetwork.org