我为什么教书:克里斯蒂·贝尔
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献给克里斯蒂·贝尔, MS, one of the best parts of working at vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 is getting to connect with students.
The assistant professor of physical sciences attended large universities 为 her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. When the opportunity arose to teach at vnsr威尼斯城官网登入, she wasn’t sure what it would be like to work at a small women’s college. She quickly realized she was in the right place.
“When you’re on a campus with thousands of students, you’re much more anonymous,她说。. “I have found it very rewarding to be able to work this closely with students.”
One of the classes Bell enjoys teaching is Foundations of Chemistry, an introductory course that draws students from a variety of majors, 包括护理. The students who take this course are often in their first semester at vnsr威尼斯城官网登入.
“It’s helping them learn to be precise in their actions and in their thinking to carefully assess what they’re doing,她说。. “Whether you become a science major or a nursing major, you need to learn how to make your argument, to have good data to back up your position and how to solve problems.”
当与学生一起工作时, Bell and her colleagues seek to welcome everyone as they emphasize the many ways in which scientific knowledge can have a positive impact on people’s daily lives.
“We need everybody in science. 我们需要有色人种. We need people of different cultures. That’s one of my hopes – that I can support more women in moving into science,她说。. “There are so many ways that you can help your community if you understand science.”
As a professor at a women’s college, what do you hope to empower your students to achieve?
“I hope that they find work that is deeply satisfying to them and that lets them contribute to their community and make a difference. 作为一名科学老师, I would love if they took the science and their critical thinking skills with them and shared them with the world.”
What have you learned from vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 students?
“他们勤劳. 他们会一头扎进去. 他们创造性的. I love it when they ask questions so they can learn more and get a deeper understanding of the material. They are committed in an intentional way to their community and this school.”
How did you come to be involved with the vnsr威尼斯城官网登入温室?
“I have always loved nature and wanted to understand how the world works. It is why I majored in geology and geochemistry. I also took lots of classes in other sciences including chemistry, physics and botany. I also have a lifelong interest in plants. People who know me know that, so they asked me to be involved as director of horticulture. The idea of working in the greenhouse and growing plants is very exciting.”
What do you most enjoy about the greenhouse work, and what are you looking 为ward to?
“一切都! 我喜欢种植, I enjoy seeing the tomatoes 为m, and I’ve enjoyed learning how to pollinate tomatoes without bees. I love trying different plants in the hydroponic beds to see what grows really well. I’ve gotten to grow lavender and rosemary with students, and we’ve been harvesting kale 为 the vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 food pantry since mid-January.
“I’m also doing curriculum development, writing labs to teach students about the connection between the fish and the plants in our system as well as in nature. The students find it enlightening. You can see from their faces. Sharing that in为mation with people is very exciting to me.
“One of my goals is to get more departments and disciplines involved in the greenhouse. Art students have come over to sketch plants be为e beginning sculptures. Maybe business students can create business plans 为 us to grow and sell native plants. There are so many possible connections. ”
How have you used/are you using your knowledge of native plants to make vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 a more sustainable campus?
“I’ve actually ordered a variety of native plant seeds that we have planted in the greenhouse to be used around campus. We have a lovely campus which could be enhanced with native plants. It would be great to see people out there walking, or sitting and reading a book or playing Frisbee. Plants can invite students, faculty and staff to move out into the landscape and bring in pollinators, 鸟类和野生动物. 那太好了.”
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