Introduction: Jim Smith

  1. Jim Smith

    My name is Jim Smith and I’ve been attending the Summer Workshops regularly for a number of years. With respect to teaching, I’ve taught Intro Bio (both Organismal, and Cell and Molecular) in the Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State for the better part of the past 23 years, so I have some things to share. I’ve also been involved in leading Summer Workshop sessions, and have been active with the Summer Workshop leadership team. This year, I’m one of the mentors, so I am looking forward to working with my mentees to maximize our productivity and fun!

    I always love the Summer Workshop, which I view as my week at Biology Teaching “Summer Camp”. It is a time to meet with friends and colleagues to reflect upon the past year and think about ways to move forward into the next one.  I’d encourage you to enjoy the sessions and find groups of people to work with on one or more projects. I also like the fact that the Summer Workshop is immersive; some great conversations, ideas, and friendships happen on the way to breakfast or after dinner. 

    The best thing though is the group of people who make up the Summer Workshop community. People are very supportive and open to new ideas, so it’s a great place to “try on” a new intervention you’ve been thinking about doing. The collective wisdom of the group is huge; take advantage of the knowledge and experience of everyone here. We all want to create cool learning experiences for our students, and love the process of making that happen! 

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  2. Sarah Prescott

    Excited to see you again Jim! I love the analogy of Summer Camp - i use this description too! 

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