Students that come out of my lab are wonderfully prepared to go onto the next phase of their career. I have successfully mentored several undergraduate students at the University of Kansas. I received the Undergraduate Research Mentor Award from the Center for Undergraduate Research at the University of Kansas. Many of the students I have mentored have applied for and been granted funding for their independent projects, presented at international conferences, received awards for presentations and outstanding research, and published in renowned journals. Five of the undergraduates I have mentored have gone on to graduate programs. I have a proven track record of active and innovative education in and out of a classroom. Students in my lab would gain useful skills, such as invertebrate and fish identification, molecular techniques (eDNA), and experience with statistics and stable isotope techniques.
I consider myself a freshwater and food web ecologist, and my diverse training in many different types of freshwater habitats and experience with many different groups of organisms allows me to be very flexible in what I teach. I feel comfortable teaching any type of ecology or freshwater ecology course, along with many invertebrate related courses, and ichthyology. I also have a strong background in statistics and am comfortable teaching an undergraduate level statistics course. I have taught undergraduate courses in Laboratory and Field Methods in Ecology, Introductory Organismal Biology, and Introductory Cell Biology, both lectures and laboratories. I have also taught study abroad courses in Tropical Forest and Marine Ecology in Dominica and Marine Biology in Bonaire.
Rachel E. Bowes_Teaching Statement
