Teaching Philosophy:
My teaching experience has focused on biochemistry and molecular biology courses, while my research areas span microbiology, mycology, genetics, pathology, and symbioses. I aim to create a welcoming learning environment that is accommodating of student needs and goes beyond test-centered lecturing, focusing on active and problem-based learning. Where possible, I use interactive lessons and hands-on projects to provide context with content and push beyond rote memorization. I love informing and inspiring others through teaching, but also updating my own knowledge and frameworks based on revisiting material with the fresh perspective of students. Thus, I see teaching and learning as a partnership and respect my students’ contributions.
Courses taught by Dr. Carter (syllabi shared on request):
BIOL 3166 – Genetics – Spring 2024
BIOL 4000/5000 – Topics: Fungal Biology – Fall 2024
Developed Resources for Teaching:
Eugenics and Scientific Racism – Lecture Module for Genetics Course
Building off of resources presented during the annual virtual conference of the Undergraduate Genetics Education Network in 2024 and the mtDNA activity described here, this is a set of slides I’ve used at the end of a Genetics course to cover Eugenics and Scientific Racism.
Plant-Associated Bacteria Genome Investigation
Using a guided activity, students will find a genome for a plant pathogen or mutualist, and computationally investigate the molecular basis for interaction using webtools. They will create and deliver short presentations on their discoveries contextualizing their findings with relevant literature about the interaction. This module takes ~4 hours of class time. This module can be adapted to take the place of a conventional lecture highlighting plant pathogens or the basics of secretion systems and secondary metabolites. The materials have been made publicly available for others’ to use. Project was designed and implemented in 2021, tools may have changed since then.
