Teaching and Outreach
Though research is my primary passion, I am also proud of my teaching and outreach efforts. Below, you can find a teaching sample for a college-level course, a music video made to serve as an educational aid for classroom concepts, and a set of humorous music videos describing life as a scientist.
Teaching Sample
The Waggle Dance
Sample lecture on the honey bee waggle dance written and delivered by Dr. Rebecca R. Westwick. This lecture was originally written and delivered live in the fall of 2019 when Dr. Westwick served as the teaching assistant for the class "Bees and People." The recording was made later, in the fall of 2020, when the class was delivered virtually. This course fulfilled the science requirement for undergraduate non-science majors.
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Educational Aid
Tinbergen's Four
(To the tune of "1234" by Feist)
This music video was designed as an educational aid to complement classroom teaching. It covers "Tinbergen's Four Questions," a topic foundational to the study and teaching of animal behavior.
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Outreach Video
Aggression Assays
(To the tune of "I Want It That Way" by The Backstreet Boys)
This parody music video was created as a way to highlight, in a humorous way, some of the ups and downs that come with being a PhD student in the biosciences. It features my work from 2018-2023 as I obtained my PhD in Entomology at the University of Kentucky. Themes include field work, lab work, and working with honey bees.
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Outreach Video
No es un grillo
(To the tune of "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi)
This parody music video was created during my time working as a Biological Science Aide at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). I worked in the lab of Dr. Robert Srygley researching Mormon crickets (Anabrus simplex) in high-elevation rangeland systems. The video is entirely in Spanish. It features themes such as insect rearing, plant surveys, sweep netting, and other field and lab duties typical of an entry-level science position.
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Outreach Video
Beyond the Trees
(To the tune of "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin)
This parody music video was created when I worked as a temporary field technician for Dr. Eric Walters' lab at Hastings Natural History Reserve. We researched cooperative breeding and population ecology of acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus). The video features themes such as bird band reading and hiking.
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Outreach Video
Gotta Trap 'Em All
(To the tune of "Pokémon Theme" by Jason Paige)
This parody music video was created during my second field season working with Alston's singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina) in the lab of Dr. Steve Phelps. Our research primarily took place at the Quetzal Education Research Center (QERC) in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica. The video features themes such as small mammal trapping, audio recording of animal communication, and tissue dissection (the video is not graphic, but does show a still image of an isolated mouse brain).
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Outreach Video
Let It Close
(To the tune of "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen)
This was the first research-related parody music video I created. It features work from my first field season working with Alston's singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina) in the lab of Dr. Steve Phelps, and was created while I was still completing my undergraduate degree. This research primarily took place at the Quetzal Education Research Center (QERC) in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica. The video features themes such as small mammal trapping and hiking.
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Click on image to open the video