TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

I believe that science is inclusive and fun.

Inclusion. My students come from very diverse backgrounds. We all actively think about and improve our science communication to broad audiences and our cross-cultural collaboration skills.

Science is fun. Enjoying the pursuit of knowledge is one of the best aspects of being sapiens. I dedicate classroom time and one-on-one mentoring with students and lab members to help them realize why our science is cool.

below are the Lutz principals of engaging higher education of forest ecology

THE BEST PLACE TO TEACH FOREST ECOLOGY IS IN THE FOREST

TEACHING WITH COLLEAGUES SYNERGISTICALLY IMPROVES INSTRUCTION

Matthew Luskin, Harimau Kita Sumatra tiger

LEAD BY EXAMPLE: EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM IN STUDENTS WILL FOLLOW FROM THEIR TEACHERS

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DIFFERING STUDENT BACKGROUNDS DEMAND DIFFERENT TEACHING APPROACHES

MENTORING

Students in my lab are held to a high standard based on empirical measures of productivity. Scientific knowledge can only be increased if it is communicated. Thus, I expect undergraduate theses to be published or made available online (e.g. on Wikipedia) and all graduate thesis chapters to be published in peer-reviewed journals. Postdocs will be mentored to choose projects that meaningfully advance our field and be featured in general interest high-impact journals.

Matthew Luskin, Darcy, Rosemary, Brent,Moorea Class [small] IMG_9253.jpg

Teaching

Students on a field course in

French Polynesia

Teaching at UQ

BIOL2015 - Ecology Field Studies (AKA the Fraser course!)

cotaught in 2021, and I will be coordinating this course from 2022 onwards
Lectures on sampling and analysis, followed by 1-week excursion on Fraser island (aka K'gari)

BIOL3030 - Urban Ecology

debuted in 2021 to rave reviews, excited to keep improving!
coordinated by the beloved Prof John Dwyer

CONS2029 - Conservation In Context (masters course)

2020, 2021, and ongoing...
coordinated by the beloved Prof Berndt Van Rensburg

CONS7004 - Masters Research (coordinator)

2021 and ongoing...

Teaching at NTU-Singapore

2019, 2020, 2021, & ongoing: Advanced Topics in Ecology

Coordinated by Prof David Wardle in the Asian School of the Environment
I teach 1 of the 11 weeks of instruction

2017 & 2018 Instructor for ASE Field Experience: Methods in Wildlife Ecology

3-7 weeks, full-time hands-on field course
Sarawak Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia
Attended by 5-8 NTU undergrads
- + 1 Thai masters student, 1 USA masters student

2017 and 2018, co-taught: Intro to Ecology at NTU in ASE, led by Patrick Martin

I designed and taught 3 of 11 weeks of instruction
My teaching scores were 4.76 (lectures) and 4.82 (lab tutorials)

2018 Guest lecturer: Tropical Ecology at NTU in ASE, led by Shawn Lum

Teaching at UC Berkeley

Graduate Student Instructor for “Conservation Biology” (ESPM c158)

30 students, Professor Claire Kremen

Graduate Student Instructor for “Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands”.

A 13-unit field course taught in French Polynesia (Moorea and Tahiti). The curriculum includes the fundamentals of field research, marine and terrestrial ecology, geomorphology, biodiversity sampling, invasion biology, animal behavior.

Graduate Student Instructor for “Wildlife Ecology” (ESPM 114)

145 students, Professor: Justin Brashares

Graduate Student Instructor for “Conservation Biology” (Integrative Biology)

75 students, Professor: Steve Beissinger

THE ECOLOGICAL CASCADES LAB