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News
09/30/2022 RECRUITING lab manager, PhD students, postdoc 09/01/2022 FUNDED NIH NIEHS R00 to study the transgenerational effects of dietary cadmium on visually behavior 08/26/2022 SUBMITTED EPA grant to use native Florida plants for phytoremediation of stormwater |
Outreach.
Community Inclusion: Building Bridges and Increasing Enthusiasm for
Science and Nature. Increasing enthusiasm for science and nature begins through outreach. I build bridges between the academia and local communities that I find myself through partnering with state organizations such as the Oregon Department for Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and through fostering local relationships with the communities where I conduct field research in India. Through a partnership with ODFW and the Oregon Hatchery research center I coordinated a Family Fish Day where over 200 individuals fished and learned about Oregon fauna and flora. We made the event more inclusive by translating the phrase "Welcome to Family Fishing Day!" in nearly 35 languages. In India, I engage with youth and community members to exchange ideas and information about a wonderful biomedical marvel, the zebrafish.
Charles H. Turner Program: Increasing Undergraduate Access and Engagement in Society Meetings |
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Charles H. Turner Program through the Animal Behavior Society is dedicated to increasing access and engagement of undergraduates from underrepresented groups in the society meeting. Each year, the Turner Program welcomes 10-12 students to participate in a one-day pre-meeting workshop. The workshop is designed to familiarize awardees with meeting etiquette, provide diversity and other professional development training. I have partnered with Dr. Carrie Hall to coordinate the workshop as a member of the Animal Behavior Society of Diversity Enhancement Committee.
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K-12 STEM engagement in the US and Abroad
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Energy and excitement for STEM is cultivated at a young age. I partner with different organizations (e.g., SACNAS, TEAMTox), community groups (e.g., Bethel Homework Help), and local schools to bring science enrichment to students who need it most. Engaging young minds, especially young scholars that are from traditionally marginalized groups in science is my passion. My K-12 outreach initiatives ensures that the scientists of tomorrow reflect the changing the demographics. During my field studies in India, I also visit classrooms and interact with local villagers to communicate the power of a tiny striped fish (THE zebrafish) to address grand challenges. In this capacity, I also serve as ambassador for my country (USA), and show that brown women with funny American accents do indeed get wet, dirty, and muddy in the pursuit of science.
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Research Experience for Undergraduates
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I have benefited tremendously from mentoring, and mentoring is the type of teaching setting that I enjoy the most. I find in this environment my students and I learn the most and our best ideas emerge; it is together that we become better thinkers and learners. In 2013, my NSF-REU intern and I were featured in a short film about the impact of the NSF Animal Behavior-REU.
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My mentoring efforts and mentors were featured in Undark Magazine (Evans Ogden, 2017).
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