The event is open to everyone. 

This will be a fun and informal opportunity to celebrate the garden, learn about its history, and connect with others in the community. Dr. Jim Krupa will lead the tour.

We’ll have tea cakes, homemade lemonade, and other garden-inspired treats for everyone to enjoy. I’ve also planned a scavenger hunt to encourage guests to explore the garden and engage with the site’s history. A family tree will be on display during the event, and it’s also available on the website. This website focuses on the garden as a whole but is still under construction.

If you're unable to attend, you can listen to the podcast where Dr. Krupa discusses the biodiversity and history of the garden.

For those unable to attend in person there is a Zoom Link: Zoom: https://uky.zoom.us/j/83606615668

Dr. Erin Richard

Bio:
Dr. Erin M. Richard is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology at the University of Kentucky, where she integrates evidence-based teaching practices and mentoring into undergraduate science education and research experiences. Dr. Richard earned her Ph.D. from the Medical University of South Carolina and holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Richard has been recognized for her teaching excellence, receiving the UK Arts & Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award and has served as a faculty fellow in multiple teaching innovation programs. Her research background is in molecular biology and immunology and she currently focuses on student affective experience in STEM and on the microbial ecology of natural and waste waters. She serves as a co-PI on an NSF S-STEM grant supporting biology and neuroscience undergraduates and is dedicated to mentoring students and developing inclusive classroom and research environments.

Abstract:
Everyone is born with curiosity and the ability to use science to answer questions. Through observation and curiosity, we draw conclusions and make improvements in our world. Connecting students with their curiosity, their peers, and their communities prepares them to engage in understanding their environments and working to make them better. In this talk, I will demonstrate using science classrooms and research experiences to develop students into lifelong learners and problem solvers for the future. In a mini-lesson, I will demonstrate the use of evidence-based teaching methods in a lecture on Infection and Pathogenicity for an introductory microbiology course. Following this teaching demonstration, I will discuss my research program. Through both CUREs and research projects, students will learn to engage with their communities as stewards of water quality and with their peers through investigation of student affective experience. These enriched learning opportunities can prepare students for a changing world so they remain connected and engaged in the face of global warming, AI, and the myriad other challenges they will encounter. Drawing on my experience in biology education and research, I will demonstrate how well-crafted classrooms and authentic research experiences can foster transformative learning for undergraduates.

Watch the seminar here!

Dr. Emily Croteau

Bio:
Emily Croteau is a Senior Lecturer in the Biology department at the University of Kentucky. She is enthusiastic about teaching students “how science works”. To that end, Emily focuses on supporting biology undergraduates by facilitating research opportunities in CUREs (Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences). CUREs emphasize building students' discipline-specific competencies, such as practical laboratory skills, quantitative analysis, data interpretation, conducting literature reviews, and communicating scientific findings. Research projects include a conservation focus with an emphasis on surveying biodiversity.

Abstract:
The scientific process involves a dynamic and flexible approach. However, most print and online resources would lead us to believe that science is a rigid, linear process with little room for tentativeness and adaptability. While this model is useful at its most basic level it can create misconceptions about how science is done and hesitancy to accept scientific explanations. In this seminar, I’ll share a teaching demo that illustrates how science is a cyclical process, involving the refinement of questions and hypotheses, iteration, and teamwork. This model of science has influenced how I teach. As such, I have developed an undergraduate-driven research program in the form of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) that rely on inquiry, repeated testing and adaptability to unexpected results. Research areas include real-world conservation questions that may involve molecular or field applications. Although positive research outcomes are important, the real success is in cultivating students’ skills as researchers and communicators and fostering curiosity and creativity.

Watch the seminar here!

Dr. Ryan "Layne" Gaynor

Bio:
I am a behavioral ecologist interested in how changes in the sensory environment impact communication and social interactions between individuals. I recently completed my PhD in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at Ohio State University, where my dissertation work focused on the response of a cooperatively breeding fish to changes in the visual environment.
I am passionate about science education, and strive to prepare my students to be lifelong scientific thinkers. At Ohio State I taught my department’s summer ecology course EEOB 3410, and will do so again this summer at OSU Stone Lab. I have also worked as a teaching assistant for a variety of courses including: BIO 1113 – Biological Sciences: Energy Transfer and Development, EEOB 2510 – Human Anatomy, EEOB 3420 – Behavioral Ecology, EEOB 3310 – Evolution, and EEOB 2520 – Human Physiology.

Abstract:
My ultimate goal as an educator is to prepare my students to be lifelong critical thinkers and thoughtful consumers of scientific media. I strive to achieve this through the use of discursive teaching strategies designed to encourage students to reflect on the course materials. I also aim to structure my courses to increase student agency by giving them options in how they can engage with the course content. To illustrate my approaches, I will lead a short lesson on evolution via natural selection. In large lecture settings I incorporate frequent check-in questions, short discussion prompts, and case studies into my lessons to promote student engagement. Regular check-in questions give me immediate feedback about student understanding and can highlight topics in need of further development. Outside of lecture students are encouraged to complete short-form writing assignments designed to help them organize and apply the course content. I will then discuss potential assessment tools for gauging the effectiveness of my teaching strategy.

Watch the seminar here!