Senior Lecturer Plant Biology Email: jdees@uga.edu Office: Miller Plant Sciences, Rm 3520 Biography My focus is teaching, and I am currently an instructor for Principles of Biology I (BIOL 1107). I advocate for active learning in the classroom and support biology education research. Research Research Areas: Biology Education Research Interests: My research is in biology education, where the goal is to collect and analyze data for the purpose of improving student learning. My interests include student use of procedural knowledge, student understanding of phylogenetic trees, and the effects of peer learning assistants in classrooms. Education Education: PhD: Zoology and STEM Education, North Dakota State University (2017) MS: Biology, North Dakota State University (2013) BS: Aerospace Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology (2003) Other Information Of note: Center for Teaching and Learning Fellowship for Innovative Teaching 2019 University of Georgia (Funding: $2,000) Center for Teaching and Learning Fellowship for Innovative Teaching 2018 University of Georgia (Funding: $2,500) Department of Biological Sciences Graduate Student Teaching Award 2015 North Dakota State University STEM Education Program Research Fellowship for Graduate Students 2013–2015 North Dakota State University (Funding: $36,000)