OVERVIEW
Teaching students is an honor that very few of us get the privilege to do. The ability to excite willing minds to explore the world of science, in particular microbiology, is one of the things I strive to attain. At the undergraduate level I try to introduce the students to as many different aspects of microbiology as possible, while at the graduate level the students are challenged to obtain additional information from scientific literature rather than just textbooks.
I have been responsible for courses in Responsible Conduct of Research, General Microbiology, Microbial Pathogenesis, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vector Borne Diseases, Advanced Microbiology, and recently One Health. I was also one of the initiators of the Molecular and Immunological Techniques course; this is a laboratory intensive course that lets of students gain practical experience in some of the basic techniques being used in molecular laboratories. I have also introduced a new course “Diseases that changed our World” where we will discuss not only the diseases, but also technologies that have been improved or made as a result of the diseases.
After a few of semesters of teaching the laboratory portion of General Microbiology I felt that the available laboratory manuals were cumbersome and not appropriate for the course being taught at Old Dominion University. Because of this I put together a laboratory manual for this class, which provided the students with an easy to use, concise manual for the laboratories. Student evaluations of the lab manual have been very positive, and the manual has received positive reviews from the students. I have reworked the laboratory manual so as to include more critical thinking and evaluation of results than was used in the early editions of the laboratory manual.
Teaching is not limited to the classroom/lecture hall. It extends to our laboratories where I have had both graduate and undergraduates working, often together, on similar projects. In the research laboratory I aim to teach students not only the methods and procedures but also to enhance their ability to think about, and solve, problems
My teaching has extended beyond the level of the University student. I have assisted High School and Middle School students in the development and experimental components of research projects for school science fairs. Although not getting to spend a great deal of time (less than a semester) with these students I believe that when they finish their project they are aware of some scientific thinking, and are able to see the flaws in the project that they originally designed. Two of the students I have assisted did very well with their projects one went on to win the Senior Microbiology section at the Tidewater Science Fair.
Highlights: Perhaps the biggest honor a teacher can be given is recognition from a student. This occurred to me with the recognition by the 1997 Outstanding University and College Scholar as the faculty member who most inspired him during his career at Old Dominion University.
