Dr. Stone’s undergraduate teaching interests include introducing non-science majors to the importance of science in our everyday lives. She continues to look for ways to help undergraduate students realize that 1) they can “do” science and 2) biology is both interesting and vital for them to understand. She uses BioSci 1010, General Principles and Concepts in Biology, as an opportunity to convince our future citizens that biology is part of their lives. She would like students leaving her class to understand the importance of issues such as global climate change, antibiotic resistant “superbugs”, and biotic diversity. She want students to find these topics important enough to go home and share what they have learned with their family and friends. Beyond the importance, her goal is for students to know the facts about the issues they discuss and be able to defend their position using research-based evidence. However, a snapshot of biological concerns today is not satisfactory. She also equips students with the skills to research science-related topics of future interest. Her classes discuss how science is done and how to judge resources for their reliability and validity so in the future as new issues come up her students are prepared to research the topic successfully on their own.

Other teaching responsibilities:

• BioSc 1200 – Botany – A 5-credit lab and lecture course offered both face-to-face and online. It is both a general elective science credit course and a service course, fulfilling pre-requisites for non-biology majors.
• BioSc 2100 – Infectious Diseases – A 3-credit lab and lecture course offered every other spring. It is designed as an elective for non-science majors.
• BioSc 2002 – Genetic Diseases – A 3-credit lecture course. It is an elective for non-science majors.