Outreach

I believe it is imperative to make science accessible for everyone.

During my undergraduate degrees at University of Idaho, I was involved in my local community through volunteer efforts with the Moscow Elementary science fair and the National Society of Black Engineers. I participated in events aimed at increasing interest in STEM fields in underrepresented minorities in Spokane, Washington, and also worked with NSBE’s tutoring program on campus.

At UNM, I serve as a secretary secretary for Advancing Women in Science, whose aim is to help recruit and retain women in all levels of science. This includes presentations in local schools and on campus, as well as hosting events with female scientists as speakers. I also served as a Co-President of the UNM Biology's Graduate Student Association for two years (2018–2020), a role in which I advocated for the needs of all >100 graduate students to the University and our Department administrators.

Presenting on how ornithologists use specimens to study color evolution with specimens for the MSB Open Collections event in Albuquerque, NM, June 2023.

I'm extremely passionate about science; I share this passion with students and the public via scientific education and outreach. I've spoken to local classrooms in both Boise, ID and Albuquerque, NM, about science careers and advice on how to engage themselves in science. Additionally, I am an active member in the Birds and Genomic Resources Divisions at the Museum of Southwestern Biology, for which I regularly engage with students and the general public about natural history collections.

Additionally, I've served as the graduate co-instructor and later as an Instructor of record for UNM Biology’s BioBlog course for six years. The aim of the BioBlog is to teach biologists how to be improve science communicators by writing to a general audience.

During my time as BioBlog co-instructor, we’ve received >100K page views and our pieces have been published in the University's twice-weekly student newspaper, the Daily Lobo.

Here are some of my favorites:

In addition to teaching the BioBlog course and maintaining the blog site, I contribute my own blogs.

Predatory Songbirds: the case of the murderous tits

discusses the lengths birds will go in the face of scarcity

Crabs, birds, and blue blood

how shorebirds and humans depend on a living fossil

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Will history repeat itself?

two stories of declining bird populations, then & now