I am passionate about scientific literacy and want to spread my love for biology to a new generation.”
Beth’s Story
Teaching Discipline
Biology
Why Biology
“I want to impart on my students deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills. I want my students to be able to critically think about the world around them when they leave high school. Teaching biology perfectly encompasses all of these skills.”
Professional Experience
Following her first master’s degree, Beth was awarded a genetics fellowship at the San Diego Zoo Center for Conservation Research, where she performed DNA analysis on zoo specimens. Between masters’ degrees, Beth spent over a decade working as a forensic science DNA analyst. She worked for Washington State Patrol for eight of those years and spent the other two with the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory. More recently, she has gravitated towards teaching. Beth taught biology and environmental science for one semester and forensic science for a year at Marysville Getchell High School.
Hobbies
Beth enjoys 3D printing in her free time and is passionate about sea turtle conservation. This is evident in the selection of the topic for her master’s degree thesis, which focused on using mtDNA analysis to try to determine the geographic location of origin for products made from sea turtle shells.
Academic Background
- Rochester Institute of Technology (Bachelor of Science in Biology)
- Western Governors University (Master of Arts in Science Education)
- Michigan State University (Master of Science in Forensic Science)