Educational history:

After being raised in New Jersey, I fled to the West Coast and earned bachelors degrees in Biology and in Linguistics from Stanford University.  Not sure what to do next, I was lucky to get to work and play in Hawai'i for two years, training dolphins at a research lab and managing a fish hatchery research facility.  Although that experience was life-changing, I yearned to be back in academia so came to the UW for graduate school.  I completed my PhD in 2000 in the lab of Dr. Sandra Bajjalieh, where I studied the interactions of synaptic vesicle proteins and their function in neurotransmitter release.  My scientific interests include: neurobiology and behavior, gene regulation, neurolinguistics, animal behavior, the intersection of lifestyle and disease, and invertebrate physiology and ecology as well as the study of women's work-life balance.

Teaching history: 

During graduate school I fell in love with teaching.  I was lucky to work with some amazing mentors, including Dr. Bonny Brewer, Dr. Bill Moody, Dr. Linda Martin-Morris, Dr. Mosur Raghuraman and Ms. Allie Rudkin.  I have worked as a Lecturer for the Department of Genome Sciences (2001-2007) and the Department of Biology (2008-present).  In 2014 I was promoted to Senior Lecturer, in 2020 we got title changes so I became an Associate Teaching Professor, and in 2023 I was promoted to Full Teaching Professor! I continue to enjoy teaching, feeling that it is an honor to come to work each day in such an amazing learning environment.  I also enjoy helping undergraduates navigate their path to careers in science.

Courses I often teach:

Bio 200/240 - Introductory Biology

Bio 380 - Biomedical Advances and Society

Bio 400 - Experiments in Molecular Biology

Bio 401 - Advanced Cell Biology

Bio 434 - Invertebrate Zoology

Bio 466 - Pathobiology of Emerging Diseases

GenSt 197 - The Origin of Life (Collegium Seminar for Freshmen)

Courses I have taught in the past:

Biology 355 - Foundations in Cell and Molecular Biology

Biology 350 - Foundations in Physiology

Genome 261 - Genomes and Society

Genome 371 - Introductory Genetics

Genome 351 - Human Genetics

Genome 475 - Debates in Genetics

Personal Interests:

I am the mother of two daughters (21 and 16) who keep me busy and active!  As a family we are involved in the adoption community, the transgender community and foster animal care.  My hobbies include playing volleyball, swimming and reading.