Quotes from Stanford University anonymous instructor evaluations
The Social Ocean 2022 (co-Instructor)
Co-designed course focused on social dimensions of ocean systems with an emphasis on marine racial justice and ocean policy
"This is the forefront of the field. I wish I could take a version of this class every quarter. You can always learn more."
"Lead by amazing people and provides a safe and engaging space to think critically about the ocean."
"Rachel and Safari are AMAZING! They are so empathetic and knowledgeable and really care about their students. I have learned so much from them and feel very lucky to have taken this class. They not only share material but also try to connect students with career and research opportunities."
Students learned...
The Social Ocean 2021 (remote; co-Instructor)
"Rachel and Meghan go above and beyond to create an inclusive environment for budding environmentalists."
"The ability of our instructors to adapt to suggestions on a weekly basis made it a pleasure to take this class. Each week they catered to the difficult and ever-changing needs of the class with respect and empathy. They made a very difficult online format accessible to the whole class as well as making the material accessible to students from any disciplinary background."
"Take this class! Definitely if you're an earth systems major I think it should be a required part of the oceans track. But even if not, if you're remotely interested in the ocean at all in any way you will get something out of this class."
"Take this class! This class is excellent for anyone considering a career in the marine space and I learned so much. Rachel and Meghan are excellent instructors! Engaging and interesting guest speakers and readings. I would take this class again if I could!"
Students learned...
Environmental Governance (TA)
Course focused on pathways and challenges to managing common-pool resources, and governance institutions and frameworks for managing natural resource use.
"Rachel is incredibly knowledgeable about reef systems in Hawai'i and was very effective in helping us to understand applications of governance theory learned in the readings and class."
"Rachel laid out a clear example of how to apply the Social Ecological Systems (SES) framework during her lecture on managing coral reef systems in Hawaii, which really clarified and illuminated the topic for me. She also gave very helpful feedback on my final paper rough draft, providing useful references as well as direction on how to tighten the focus of my paper."
"Kind, approachable, encouraged questions."
"Clear, concise, engaging; always present and engaged in class discussions."
"Rachel was really well organized, and provided weekly email updates on our class schedule that I found very helpful."
Additional Teaching and Mentorship
Lead Instructor, Biological Oceanography - UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab (Bodega Bay, California)
Led an immersive field- and lab-based course at the UC Davis marine station (25 students) covering topics including ocean food webs, organism interactions with oceanographic features, technology for sensing ocean change, and human impacts on the ocean.
Hopkins Marine Station (Monterey and Stanford, California)
Mentored high school student in guided research on coral size class structure and seasonal coral recruitment in Hawaiʻi
Paʻa Pono Miloliʻi (Miloliʻi, Hawaiʻi)
Mentored four high-school students in a work-study program based in Miloliʻi, Hawaiʻi, focusing on marine research skills and coral biology/physiology
Volcano School of Arts and Sciences (Volcano, Hawaiʻi) [Press]
Taught marine survey methods and coral bleaching biology in classroom- and ocean-based sessions (Grades K-12)
Stanford Woods Institute – Mentoring Undergraduates in Interdisciplinary Research (MUIR) Program (Stanford, California)
Mentored Stanford undergraduate student in independent research on groundwater impacts on coral reefs in Hawaiʻi.
826DC (Washington, DC)
Weekend reading tutor for students from Harriet Tubman Elementary School.
Fighting Words (Dublin, Ireland)
Creative writing tutor in after-school and weekend programs by Irish literary nonprofit.
Rice University Center for Communications Excellence (Houston, TX)
Volunteer Academic Advisor and Writing Tutor. Provided tutoring in English, math, chemistry, physics.
National Aquarium Volunteer (Baltimore, MD)
Interacted with guests; designed and created live terrariums; maintained exhibits and off-exhibit animal rooms.
Co-designed course focused on social dimensions of ocean systems with an emphasis on marine racial justice and ocean policy
"This is the forefront of the field. I wish I could take a version of this class every quarter. You can always learn more."
"Lead by amazing people and provides a safe and engaging space to think critically about the ocean."
"Rachel and Safari are AMAZING! They are so empathetic and knowledgeable and really care about their students. I have learned so much from them and feel very lucky to have taken this class. They not only share material but also try to connect students with career and research opportunities."
Students learned...
- "I learned about the varied fields, disciplines, perspectives, and thinkers/scholars that are all tackling marine problems from different angles. Most impactfully, I learned about decolonial perspectives on marine science that really opened my eyes to new pedagogies and ways of producing knowledge."
- "I gained knowledge of terms, controversies, ongoing discussions in the sciences not typically focused on in core science courses, such as parachute science, the intersection of social science with biology/ecology, decolonizing science, incorporation of indigenous knowledges."
The Social Ocean 2021 (remote; co-Instructor)
"Rachel and Meghan go above and beyond to create an inclusive environment for budding environmentalists."
"The ability of our instructors to adapt to suggestions on a weekly basis made it a pleasure to take this class. Each week they catered to the difficult and ever-changing needs of the class with respect and empathy. They made a very difficult online format accessible to the whole class as well as making the material accessible to students from any disciplinary background."
"Take this class! Definitely if you're an earth systems major I think it should be a required part of the oceans track. But even if not, if you're remotely interested in the ocean at all in any way you will get something out of this class."
"Take this class! This class is excellent for anyone considering a career in the marine space and I learned so much. Rachel and Meghan are excellent instructors! Engaging and interesting guest speakers and readings. I would take this class again if I could!"
Students learned...
- "Critical thinking, ability to listen to diverse perspectives, importance of community-based management."
- "Synthetic thinking at the intersection of marine science, policy, and humanities."
- "How to approach ocean problem solving, what problems /solutions exist"
Environmental Governance (TA)
Course focused on pathways and challenges to managing common-pool resources, and governance institutions and frameworks for managing natural resource use.
"Rachel is incredibly knowledgeable about reef systems in Hawai'i and was very effective in helping us to understand applications of governance theory learned in the readings and class."
"Rachel laid out a clear example of how to apply the Social Ecological Systems (SES) framework during her lecture on managing coral reef systems in Hawaii, which really clarified and illuminated the topic for me. She also gave very helpful feedback on my final paper rough draft, providing useful references as well as direction on how to tighten the focus of my paper."
"Kind, approachable, encouraged questions."
"Clear, concise, engaging; always present and engaged in class discussions."
"Rachel was really well organized, and provided weekly email updates on our class schedule that I found very helpful."
Additional Teaching and Mentorship
Lead Instructor, Biological Oceanography - UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab (Bodega Bay, California)
Led an immersive field- and lab-based course at the UC Davis marine station (25 students) covering topics including ocean food webs, organism interactions with oceanographic features, technology for sensing ocean change, and human impacts on the ocean.
Hopkins Marine Station (Monterey and Stanford, California)
Mentored high school student in guided research on coral size class structure and seasonal coral recruitment in Hawaiʻi
Paʻa Pono Miloliʻi (Miloliʻi, Hawaiʻi)
Mentored four high-school students in a work-study program based in Miloliʻi, Hawaiʻi, focusing on marine research skills and coral biology/physiology
Volcano School of Arts and Sciences (Volcano, Hawaiʻi) [Press]
Taught marine survey methods and coral bleaching biology in classroom- and ocean-based sessions (Grades K-12)
Stanford Woods Institute – Mentoring Undergraduates in Interdisciplinary Research (MUIR) Program (Stanford, California)
Mentored Stanford undergraduate student in independent research on groundwater impacts on coral reefs in Hawaiʻi.
826DC (Washington, DC)
Weekend reading tutor for students from Harriet Tubman Elementary School.
Fighting Words (Dublin, Ireland)
Creative writing tutor in after-school and weekend programs by Irish literary nonprofit.
Rice University Center for Communications Excellence (Houston, TX)
Volunteer Academic Advisor and Writing Tutor. Provided tutoring in English, math, chemistry, physics.
National Aquarium Volunteer (Baltimore, MD)
Interacted with guests; designed and created live terrariums; maintained exhibits and off-exhibit animal rooms.