My Science Box

My commitment to inquiry-based science began with my PhD research at the University of California, San Francisco where I studied the neural circuits that guide motivated behavior and learning. Upon completing my graduate work, I realized that teaching and, more importantly, finding the best ways to teach science, excites me more than the act of conducting basic research.

I spent the next four years teaching middle school science at Archway School in Berkeley. At Archway, I have had the luxury and privilege to teach science by
providing my students with opportunities to act like real scientists and engineers. Nearly every day, my students were working together in
teams to make predictions, collect data, draw conclusions, and design solutions to engineering problems. I also developed curriculum for the GEMS Program at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

I am now an Assistant Professor of Science Education at California State University, Chico. My passions lie in designing hands-on science curriculum, teaching teachers, and fostering the growth of an on-line community of educators and scientists.