Education:

Bachelor of Science degree from Department of Biology at Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 1995

Master of Applied Statistics degree from Department of Experimental Statistics at Louisiana State University in 2002

Doctoral degree from Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University in 2003

Research:

In addition to teaching several courses at St. Petersburg College, I am employeed as a Research Scientist at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute here in St. Petersburg, which is the headquarters of the research arm of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.  I work in the Fisheries-Independent Monitoring group, and our mission is to collect data on the distribution and abundance of fishes throughout Florida waters.  Although our program samples many areas ranging from tidal rivers to the Gulf of Mexico, my research is primarily focused on methods targeting reef fishes in the lower portions of estuarine systems and continental shelf waters off of Florida, ranging from the Florida Panhandle to the Dry Tortugas as well as some reasarch along the Atlantic coast.

Teaching Philosophy:

Science is an exciting field, but one that is often difficult to understand, especially for non-science majors.  In my classes I strive to provide students with a general understanding of important scientific topics that focuses on what is important without getting lost in the details.  I emphasize topics that are important to Florida whenever possible to give students a better appreciation of the natural world in which they live.  Upon completing one of my classes, I hope to have spurned an interest in science that will lead to a lifetime of learning.