Teaching Philosophy Universities have a profound social responsibility. Our mission is to provide high quality, forward-thinking curricula that embrace new ideas and technologies in order to ensure the competitiveness of our students in an increasingly globalized world. The impact of university education reaches far beyond the classroom and can positively contribute to the development of private, commercial, and public life. Recognizing this responsibility as educators and researchers is of great consequence to the prosperity and social fabric of a nation that prides itself in rewarding hard work, innovation, and the entrepreneurial spirit. University education should therefore not only provide students with a knowledge base, but also provide opportunities for students to grow, challenge themselves, and build professionally relevant experience. Sound scientific education, in my mind, lays a strong foundation in basic science and mathematics, while challenging and developing critical thinking skills, and cultivating the ability to solve real world problems. Fundamentally, this requires individual and personal engagement of students in an academic environment that supports and encourages the student’s efforts and hard work. One of the best ways to enhance the scientific education is integration of students into the discovery process of a research laboratory. It provides students with the context for the scientific facts acquired in the classroom. More importantly, it empowers students by providing a sense of ownership and by putting their knowledge to use in solving actual, real world problems. This is as true for graduate students as it is for undergraduates, and I have always made a strong commitment to having undergraduates be part of my research efforts. Beyond my own research, I particularly strive to bring a research-based perspective to the classroom. One of my main teaching responsibilities at OU is a senior-level microbial physiology and genetics lab course. In this class, we initially focus on developing fundamental laboratory skills and then integrate these with introductory bioinformatics. Towards the end of the class we aid students in developing hypotheses about mutants they generate and in putting their recently acquired skills to use testing these ideas. We also make a significant effort exploring aspects of experimental design and expose undergraduates to the primary literature. Overall, the class embodies much of what I believe to be important in scientific training. |
Courses Offered Marine Microbiology (MBIO 4810/5810) – The class focuses on aspects of microbial activity in the context of marine geochemistry. A systems biology perspective is taken that includes topics ranging from biochemistry and community ecology to earth sciences. Microbial Physiology and Genetics Lab(MBIO 4873) – Senior-level microbial physiology and genetics lab that covers topics of cultivation, balanced growth, PCR, recombinant DNA technology, mutant generation, protein analysis, and enzyme activity. Cell Biology (MBIO/BOT/ZOO 3110) – Molecular biology of the cell. This is a core science class for any student in the biological sciences. We cover cells, membranes, proteins, enzymes, energetics, compartments, sorting, and the cytoskeleton. Primary Literature (MBIO 4990/5990) – Analysis of peer reviewed research papers. We focus on methodological aspects of hypothesis testing. Topics range and are based on the interests of the participating students.
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