Whether it is my work in the tiny, microscopic world of a cell or my work out in the wild with some of the most amazing creatures on earth, for me being a scientist is always a thrill and a privilege. To me, being a scientist is melting of five different roles in a grand play to discover and describe new knowledge and new understandings. Being a scientist is one part explorer. You venture into unknown aspects of the world and discover things no one has realized or seen before. It is one part detective. You don your Sherlock Holmes hat, open your mind, and gather evidence to solve mysteries and explain puzzles that underlie your new discoveries. It is one part artist. You experience even more deeply the beauty and wonder of the world, and you present your discoveries in images, words and ideas. It is one part dreamer. You step back in amazement and wonder and imagine what you might find next. But to me, the most important part, the most exciting part, is to share all of these aspects with others and to be an educator. We all thirst to know more, to understand more. We all seek to be amazed and inspired by the world. For me, engaging others in my scientific quests, teaching them and learning from them, is a key part of being a scientist. In my current position, I direct a graduate course called Environmental Toxicology and mentor a number of students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty. In previous years, I have taught many toxicology-related courses. My teaching philosophy is rather simple and straightforward. I believe my role as a teacher is to always be both educating and learning, whether it be through traditional lectures, online classes, mentoring individuals, conducting research, or providing service to my Department, University, State, or Country. Educating and learning instill and inform every facet of my work and my personal life. My family would describe it as my "raison d'etre" or my “reason for being”. I would say that it is simply what I do. 

My teaching and mentoring approaches have worked well. My students have won a vast array of awards including several Outstanding Student awards from the universities where we worked and studied, and enjoy successful careers and happy lives in academia, government, industry and nonprofit institutions. I have been recognized for my teaching accomplishments at the University of Louisville earning a “Student Champion” award for going above and beyond and creating a meaningful education experience for my students and mentees, the School of Medicine’s Career Achievement in Education Award, and the University’s Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching medallion. I have also been recognized for teaching by key professional societies including: The Society of Toxicology’s Education Award and its Toxicologist Mentoring Award, the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society’s (EMGS) Education Award, and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) honored me with its Outstanding College/University Mentor Award. . Teaching is what I do and, perhaps, my family is right, it is also who I am.