I am currently an Adjunct Professor for the Department of Chemistry at Augusta University. I have been with AU for several years. I am currently teaching Introduction to Forensic Chemistry for the Forensic Science track. I am also working with the department in creating a Quality Control/Quality Assurance class. QA/QC is very important in forensics and other fields within Chemistry.
Current Interest:
For most laboratories, one only needs a BA or BS in science to be hired. Most laboratory managers are promoted from within, with little to no experience or knowledge on how to manage.
My main focus right now is on developing a laboratory management and leadership related course. The goal of this courses is to provide science majors a strong foundation in management and leadership skills.
A scientist turned manager needs to realized that running a laboratory and its staff requires different skills and mindset from doing lab work. Today’s laboratory manager needs to focus on human skills in order to be effective with the laboratory staff.
The secondary focus is the topic of ethics. Ethics and character development are closely associated with leadership and again are topics rarely covered in most undergraduate programs.
I would love to see these topics added to the undergraduate program but adding new classes can be a slow process. I am also investigating other avenues that I can use to help cover the material.
Forensic Science:
Having spent most of my career in the forensic field, I have want to help scientists in this field do well. There are some unique aspects to running a forensic lab, which I hope to incorporate into my course.
I am currently developing a criminalistics course to help criminal justice majors better understand how forensic science fits into the justice system. Criminal Justice and forensics are very popular in college but I am concerned students are not getting the best information regarding the field.
If you would like to discuss my ideas in more depth, please use the online contact form to reach out.