Other

I have had the opportunity to participate in many local, national, and international organizations. A few of my favorites are listed below.

NSF I-Corps logo

I have been a member of the CSU I-CorpsTM, BIO I-Corps, and Desert & Pacific I-Corps Hub teaching teams. Our NSF-funded CSU I-Corps program helped faculty and students from all of the California State University campuses learn to identify “problems worth solving” through evidence-based entrepreneurship. We also founded a collaborative intensive BIO I-Corps program to teach entrepreneurship to underrepresented faculty, postdocs, and students from across the U.S. in collaboration with the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and the UNCF.

American Society for Microbiology logo

Throughout my career, I have been deeply involved with the ASM, including serving as President in 2005-2006. I was Chair of the ASM Ethics Committee, and Editor-in-Chief of Microcosm magazine until July, 2022. I am currently on the ASM Governance Committee, a member of the ASM Education Committee, and the Committee on the History of Microbiology. I am also a member of the leadership team for the NIAID funded MOSAIC grant that supports advancement of diverse postdoctoral and early-career research faculty. 

JMBE logo

I am Editor-in-Chief of the ASM Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education (JMBE). This role reflects my deep belief that excellence in science education is critical for maintaining the pipeline of research needed to solve pressing problems, and that education research is critical for instilling new insights and excitement into the classroom.

I am Past-Chair of the Board of Directors of the San Diego Natural History Museum, an amazing asset to the San Diego community that stimulated my interest in science and nature as a child. The museum is both a repository of knowledge over the eons and an active research institution that promotes biodiversity and conservation, implementing projects that critical for our future.