Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

What do you regard as your greatest academic success?

Whatever I'm engrossed in at the moment—whether it's flowers changing colors, butterflies learning, caterpillars flinging frass, or wasps locating prey. Also, helping students to formulate interesting questions that span academic disciplines, so that we all learn something new.

What is your idea of happiness?

Spending satisfying time at work and with my kids, and feeling like I can balance the two!

Who or what was the greatest influence in your life that led to your career?

Childhood expeditions with my naturalist mother. I have fond memories of cutting up kelp holdfasts to find sea slugs and brittlestars for our aquarium, hunting for mushrooms on Sunday morning forays into the woods, watching birds, and looking at any and everything under the microscope...

What do you enjoy about teaching?

Sharing my enthusiasm for the natural world in all its complexity with others. Also, as cliched as it sounds, it's thrilling to help students make observations, ask questions, and figure out how to answer them, so that they realize that they can create, rather than simply receive knowledge.

Who is your favorite thinker?

Charles Darwin.

If you could change one thing at Georgetown, what would it be?

It would be great to have a thriving environmental program, with more opportunities for students to get out in the field.

How do you have fun?

Spending time with my family and friends—hiking, botanizing, talking, cooking, reading, knitting, traveling...

What is the best piece of advice you could give to your students?

Keep your eyes open, be curious, read and think broadly.

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