teach
I have taught engineering, data science, machine learning, and electronics coursework at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Outside of the traditional college environment, I have substitute taught high school, tutored middle school and high school students, and developed and taught a course on biomedical engineering to senior citizens at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which was featured in an article by Backyard Brains. I also host a blog with data science and machine learning tutorials and I am the co-founder of dbdpED, an educational platform for digital biomarker discovery using mobile health and wearables data.
teaching statement
My Teaching Philosophy focuses on educating K-100, providing technology-driven, real-world projects to students, and bringing STEM to women and minorities.
K-100 EDUCATION & STEM ENGAGEMENT
It is extremely important to increase public engagement in STEM. My focus on "K-100 education" goes beyond educating at the university level. I have managed numerous K-12 events at Marbles Children’s Museum, local high schools, and the Raleigh Natural Science Museum. I love connecting with young students over exploration of the sciences.
I am an active participant in encouraging fellow women and minorities to consider a career in STEM. My outreach with the Society of Women Engineers and Engineering Ambassadors has emphasized this, working with middle school girls on science projects, designing science games with the Girl Scouts, and teaching labs at low-income schools.
I have also had the opportunity to develop a course on Biomedical Engineering innovations for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a non-profit that provides education to senior citizens. The course I developed was highly technical, but I wanted to open it to everyone, regardless of background. As a result, I had a broad range of students, from former elementary teachers to dentists. Our discussions were lively and filled with personal narratives and the laboratory component was always the highlight of the class. I wrote about my experience here.
"Brinnae is the best teacher yet at Olli and I have take many of your courses! In addition, this class was the best yet at Olli! Her knowledge of leading edge technology in many areas was fascinating to hear." (OLLI student)
BRINGING REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS TO THE CLASSROOM
Traditional engineering courses often focus most of their attention on getting through complex content rather than relating the complex content to its applications in industry, research, or education. I want to turn this model upside down and start by discussing the application, directly relating content to the reasons we are learning it. I have implemented this model throughout the courses I have taught and in courses I have guest lectured for. I have had positive student feedback from this model.
"You emphasized why doing each lab was important for BME which made me want to invest time in learning the applications [of] whatever I was using" (BME 204 student)
"You always had examples, many of them from personal experience, of applications of each technology in current biomedical research" (BME 204 student)
"You are great at concisely explaining the topics and applications that make these labs important" (BME 204 student)
EMPHASIS ON TECHNOLOGY
I emphasize the use of technology in my classrooms and labs. Using cell phones, tablets, and laptops through classroom activities focused on active learning is a common theme in my classroom. Students need to be able to interact with various forms of technology and introducing new ways to design, build, and think using a variety of programs and methods, so it is essential to make these connections early in their study. Technology also plays an important role in the way I teach my courses. I utilize online platforms to disseminate knowledge. For example, R is a statistical programming language not commonly taught to engineers. Engineers would benefit from having knowledge of this powerful statistical software, so I developed an online course, "R for Engineers". I also host my own blog with easy to understand guides and tutorials for understanding technical topics in data science, machine learning, and engineering. A few of my favorites are hereand here.
STEM FOR EVERYONE
It is incredibly important to increase uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in women and minorities. As lead developer of the Digital Biomarker Discovery Pipeline (DBDP), an open-source software platform for developing digital biomarkers from mHealth and wearables data, I know how few women and minorities are represented in tech, open source, and data science. To increase uptake of STEM, I co-founded dbdpED, an educational platform for digital biomarker discovery using mobile health and wearables data. With tutorials, case studies, and educational videos, dbdpED provides a resource for learning the steps to using mHealth and wearables data to discover digital biomarkers. Here is an example of an easily accessible tutorial I developed for dbdpED.
teaching experience
Guest Lecturer
Our Complex Relationships with Technology (Science & Society, Duke University)
Fall 2021, 2022, 2023
Guest lectured for Science & Society course taught by Mark DeLong. Lectures consisted of artificial intelligence and technology development concepts
Case Studies in Statistical and Data Science (Statistics, Duke University)
Summer, Fall 2020
Developed case study for "Stress Detection using Wearables", recorded lecture videos, and led Q&A sessions
Course Website
The Periodic Table (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute)
Fall 2019
Created and taught lecture on "Silicon-How It's Transformed the World through Technology"
Lecture
Instructor of Record
Emerging Trends in Explainable AI (Artificial Intelligence, Duke University)
Fall 2024
Data Sourcing for Analytics (Artificial Intelligence, Duke University)
Fall 2024
Deep Learning Applications (Artificial Intelligence, Duke University)
Spring 2024, Summer 2024
Course GitHub
Biomedical Engineering: Designing Medical Devices (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute)
Spring 2017
Primary instructor and developer of entire 6-week curriculum focused on biomedical engineering. Developed lectures on bioelectronics, biomechanics, and medical devices in addition to a laboratory component including ECG, EMG, and EMG robotics.
Syllabus
Course Material
Lab Instructor
Biomedical Instrumentation (BME, Duke University)
Spring 2017, 2018
Lab instructor for Biomedical Engineering instrumentation course, Introduction to Biomedical Instrumentation (BME 354), which focused on the basic principles of biomedical electronics with an emphasis on transducers, instruments, micro-controller and PC based systems for data acquisition and processing. Taught laboratories on measurements, circuit design, and Arduino.
Syllabus
Biomedical Measurements (BME, NC State University)
Fall 2015, Spring 2016
Lab instructor for introductory Biomedical Engineering course, Biomedical Measurements (BME 204), which introduces students to modern topics in biomedical engineering and areas of emphasis in the biomedical engineering curriculum through the study and use of biomedical measurement tools. Taught labs on EKG, pulse oximetry, blood pressure, Doppler, pressure sensors, coulter counter, temperature sensors, and AFM/SEM. Developed and implemented new labs, setup labs, and taught fellow TA's how to implement the labs.
Syllabus
Course Material (developed/taught lab)
Teaching Assistant
Biomedical Data Science (Duke University)
Fall 2019
Recitation Instructor & Teaching Assistant for Biomedical Data Science, an undergraduate/Masters data science course. Responsibilities included designing and leading recitations on data science and machine learning, writing quizzes and tests, and guest teaching lectures.
Syllabus
Course Material (developed/taught lecture)
Fundamentals of Biomedical Design (Duke University)
Fall 2018
Lab Instructor & Teaching Assistant for Fundamentals of Biomedical Design, an undergraduate/Masters design course. Duties involved teaching lectures on electronics-CAD, including Eagle and Altium Designer.
Engineering 122 (NC State University)
Spring 2015, Spring 2016
Pioneered Teaching Assistant role for Engineering Academic Success (E122), a course aimed at providing strategies for academic, professional, and personal success to at-risk students in the College of Engineering.
Syllabus
Engineering 101 (NC State University)
Fall 2014, Fall 2015
Teaching Assistant for Engineering 101, a course designed to help incoming freshmen explore the College of Engineering, understand the Engineering Grand Challenges, and provide professional development opportunities. Responsibilities included running the course Moodle site, teaching lectures, assisting with in-class and out-of-class projects, arranging speakers for the class, and hosting a resume help session.
Syllabus
Other Teaching
Tutor & ACT Prep Course Instructor (Mindspire Test Prep)
Spring 2018 - Spring 2021
Tutor for middle school, high school, and college students in a range of subjects including Statistics, Physics (AP/SAT II), Chemistry (AP/SAT II), Computer Science, Writing, and ACT/SAT test prep. Designed and taught an ACT prep course at Durham Middle College High School. Conducted workshops on test preparation at various workshops and schools.
Syllabus
Substitute Teacher (NC School of Science and Mathematics)
Spring 2016 - Spring 2018
Substitute teacher for engineering and computer science courses. Taught lectures and labs on mechanical engineering, biomechanics, and biomedical engineering.
Teaching Lab Staff (Duke Summer Academy for High School Students)
Summer 2017
Part of the teaching lab staff for Duke Summer Academy. Aided in the design and facilitation of a laboratory teaching Arduino programming and device design to high school students. Instructed students in engineering skills to build a pedometer with an interactive user interface.