Teaching

I worked with the course instructor to develop materials for a new University Honors Program course that explore the biological, geographical, and matehmatical concepts realtead to extinction risk. To help students apply learned concepts in conservation prioritization without bias from preexisting knowledge of real species, I used generative AI to create a diverse set of fictional species with varying life-history traits, geographic distributions, population statuses, and human utilities.

Motivated by my interest in sustainability, I joined the teaching initiative to integrate global change concepts into the undergraduate biology curriculum as a TA for Population Ecology, supported by a UMD Teaching and Learning Grant.

I designed and delivered five lectures centered on blue crabs (an iconic species for Marylanders), using a case study approach to introduce key concepts in population dynamics, including population structure, species interactions, spatial dynamics, harvesting, and climate change. This includes an in-class R tutorial that allows students to apply these concepts to explore fishery policy options. These lectures were later integrated into the regular curriculum.

I taught anatomy lab sections twice a week as part of the course. To make this memorization-heavy subject more engaging, I incorporated active learning activities and developed online games as study aids. These resources were adopted course-wide and remain in use beyond my teaching term, supporting ~800 students annually.

Teaching anatomy became a formative learning experience that shaped my broader interest in morphological structure, later influencing aspects of my research on bird morphology.

During my time at Academia Sinica, I worked with dedicated colleagues and undergraduates to create engaging educational materials, leading several of the projects including stick-on boards for kids to learn about natural and urban habitats of common birds in Taiwan, and an interactive online module “Are bats to blame for COVID-19?” designed to bust myths about the pandemic.

I also enjoy volunteering each year at the Maryland Day at UMD, where I got to share my love for science and nature with the public through fun activities.