Teaching
I teach the following courses in the Department of Biology at Concordia U.:
Vertebrate Biology (BIOL 330, winter, every year):
This course will explore how the anatomy, physiology, life history, ecology and behaviour of vertebrates interact to generate animals that function effectively in their environments, and how different vertebrate groups have evolved over the past few hundred million years. Major vertebrate groups discussed in the course are cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Other special topics on vertebrate biology considered will include the role of ecology in vertebrate speciation, vertebrate adaptations to extreme environments, seasonal migrations, human evolution, as well as conservation issues facing different vertebrate groups worldwide.
Scientific Communication (BIOL 670, fall, alternate years):
This practical, hands-on course is designed to help graduate students improve the clarity, fluency and accuracy of their written and oral scientific work. Classes will consist of a combination of short lessons, discussions, and course assignments. The course assignments are designed to develop and improve the following scientific communication skills: (i) writing papers; (ii) summarizing scientific papers; (iii) presenting orally (in academic and non-academic settings); and (iv) making effective scientific posters. Throughout the course, students will have an opportunity to provide constructive feedback on each other’s work.
Effects of invasive species on aquatic ecosystems (BIOL601, winter):
I offer this course to highly-motivated graduate students who are interested in addressing an important question in ecology and evolution using meta-analysis. Students will pick up practical experience in: (i) formulating hypotheses and appropriate predictions; (ii) literature searching; (iii) standardizing quantitative data across different studies; and (iv) basic meta-analytic statistical analyses.
Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology (BIOL 457, winter, alternate years):
We live in an age of unprecedented environmental change and biodiversity loss due to human population growth and activities. The collective field of applied ecology and conservation biology applies interdisciplinary scientific principles to identify and manage (or try to manage) environmental problems, and to find a balance between protecting biodiversity and providing for human needs. This course attempts to introduce students to these scientific principles. In addition, as many ecology/environmental science students exiting universities will work in applied sciences, the emphasis in course assignments is on effective scientific communication, collaboration and problem-solving. There is also an emphasis on ‘synthesis-type’ questions on exams.
