I was fortunate enough in my college career to have access to several modes of public speaking and education. Through my volunteer work at BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo, and my involvement in the GeauxTeach program at LSU, I have experienced two very different educational climates.
Step 1 of the GeauxTeach program put me in the front of an elementary school classroom for one hour. During that time, I teamed up with two other GeauxTeach students to lead the 5th grade class in a science experiment. Successfully teaching a lesson required effective communication with the mentor teacher (in this case, a teacher at Baton Rouge FLAIM who taught exclusively in Spanish) and, more importantly, communication with the children. We also created lesson plans that were reviewed and critiqued by our peers, our GeauxTeach instructors, and our mentor teacher. During the semester, we visited the classroom four times, twice to observe the students and twice to teach our lessons. Our first observation was in September, and our first lesson was taught on 16 Oct 2013. Our second observation was 29 Oct 2013, and we taught our final lesson on 20 Nov 2013.
I began volunteering with the "Edzoocation" Department of the Baton Rouge Zoo in the Fall of 2011. Since then, I have been allowed to assist with and host multiple animal encounters, Safari Theater shows, and Safari Night tours. Safari Theater shows take place in a small ampitheater outside of the Education Building. During the show, I generally bring out 3-5 small animals (snakes, owls, chinchillas, etc.) to introduce to zoo guests. The show is a unique opportunity for guests to see the animals up close and ask specific questions about their biology or behavior. Being an animal educator requires the ability to confidently and comfortably handle a small animal while simultaneously speaking to a mixed audience. I am using these shows to practice giving entertaining and educational presentations.
Videos
Essays and Research Papers
In the Spring of 2015, I defended a masters research project. My research concerns student focus and attention in the outdoor classroom.
In the Spring of 2014, I completed an Undergraduate Honors Thesis under the direction of Dr. Sabrina Taylor in Conservation Genetics at LSU's School of Renewable Natural Resources. I researched the potential association of specific gene polymorphisms with variation in range sizes among birds in the genus Copsychus. My thesis can be downloaded here.
In the Fall of 2013, my Wildlife Techniques class studied how the rate of food consumption by hummingbirds changes with food color and feeder spacing. The study was conducted at LSU during the ruby-throated hummingbird fall migration, from August to October. Each student reported the results of the hummingbird study in a scientific paper, following the format of the Journal of Wildlife Management. Click here to download the paper.
In the Spring of 2013, I volunteered to compose an essay to submit on LSU's behalf to the essay competition portion of the Southeastern Wildlife Conclave. Due to our late registration, I was permitted less than one week to research the topic and write an informative essay under 1000 words in length. I received 4th place of over 20 entries. My paper on the potential effects of climate change on white-tailed deer management in the southeast can be downloaded here.
For the completion of my research project, I utilized several indoor and outdoor activities and labs. Some lessons were provided by the mentor teacher, some were derived from Project Learning Tree kits, and others, such as the Ecological Succession activity, were my own creation. The lesson plans for each activity are listed below: