Nicole DesJardins is a 2024 WISCIENCE Scientific Teaching Fellow and a postdoc in entomology. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan with a major in ecology and evolutionary biology and minors in environmental studies and music. She received both her masters and PhD from Arizona State University in animal behavior. When she’s not working, she enjoys music, tennis, and hiking (and generally spending time outside).
What are you looking forward to doing in the Scientific Teaching Fellows program?
I’m looking forward to teaching in the fall! It will be a great opportunity to implement all of the strategies we’ve learned about in the first part of the program.
What are some of your career goals and how do you think this program will help you achieve them?
I’m hoping to land a tenure-track faculty position that includes a mix of research and teaching! This program has been a great opportunity to help me grow in my abilities as a teacher. I like that it combines both instruction in pedagogical techniques and practical experience in a classroom.
What excites you about teaching?
Science plays an incredibly important role in all of our lives, whether we realize it or not. I like teaching because it gives me the opportunity to help students become more scientifically literate—to help them understand how scientific principles affect them and evaluate evidence to make informed decisions.
Learn more about Scientific Teaching Fellows.