Teachers have the potential to shape society by sharing the power of knowledge with individuals. As a teacher, my goals are to; design and implement courses that are inclusive for a diverse body of students, support student learning and success, and develop students into lifelong learners and real-world problem solvers. 

Courses taught at UK

BIO208: MICROBIOLOGY

BIO209: MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY 

BIO395: RESEARCH IN BIOLOGY

BIO425: BIOLOGY SEMINAR-THE HUMAN MICROBIOME

EXP396: EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION-TRAINING IN SCIENTIFIC TEACHING

Inequity in college student success and retention in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields continues despite decades of effort to correct it. I am interested in the formation of student affective experience (encompassing science identity, self-efficacy, growth mindset, persistence, and belonging) and its influence on learning and academic success for diverse student identities. 

I investigate the influence of various factors (instructor type, course delivery mode, course level, use of scientific teaching practices, establishment of inclusive classroom culture, and exposure to early research opportunities) on student perceptions of biology classrooms to understand factors that are most influential. I am also interested in the influence of peer mentoring programs on the affective experience and academic success of students. In the sciences, trusted mentoring relationships are especially important for students with minoritized identities, women, and first-generation college-going students to establish a sense of belonging. Assessment data from peer mentoring programs can be used to improve program effectiveness and implementation across campuses.

In future projects, I will continue to investigate the role of curricular and co-curricular programming on the formation of student affective experience and how student connections in the classroom and on campus influence their ability to participate and succeed in learning environments. 

1. Richard EM, Kulesza A. (2025) Classroom community measures increase with a Graduate TA, in-person delivery, and upper-level number in undergraduate biology lab courses. Journal of College Science Teaching. accepted for publication.
2. Amirsoleimani A, Brion GM (corr-auth), Diene S, Francois P, Richard EM. (2019) Prevalence and characterization of Staphylococcus aureus in wastewater treatment plants by whole genomic sequencing. Water Research. 158.
3. Eriani G, Karam J, Jacinto J, Richard EM, Geslain R. (2015) MIST, a Novel Approach to Reveal Hidden Substrate Specificity in Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases. PLoS One. 10(6).
4. Markiewicz M, Richard EM, Marks N, Ludwicka-Bradley A. (2013) Impact of Endothelial Microparticles on Coagulation, Inflammation, and Angiogenesis in Age-Related Vascular Diseases. Journal of Aging Research. 13.
5. Richard EM, Thiyagarajan T, Bunni MA, Basher F, Roddy PO, Siskind LJ, Nietert PJ, Nowling TK. (2013) Reducing FLI1 levels in the MRL/lpr lupus mouse model impacts T cell function by modulating glycosphingolipid metabolism. PLoS One. 8(9).
6. Morris E, Chobrak I, Bujor A, Hant F, Mummery C, ten Dijke P, and Trojanowska M. (2011) Endoglin promotes TGF-b/Smad1 signaling in scleroderma fibroblasts. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 226(12):3340-8.
7. Morris E, May Y. Amria, Emily Kistner-Griffin, John L. Svenson, Diane L. Kamen, Tamara K. Nowling. (2010) A GA microsatellite in the Fli1 Promoter Modulates Gene Expression and is associated with Nephritis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Arthritis Research and Therapy. 12(6):R212.
8. Bujor A, Nakerakanti S, Morris E, Hant F, Trojanowska M. (2010) Akt inhibition up-regulates MMP1 through a CCN2-dependent pathway in human dermal fibroblasts. Experimental Dermatology. 19(4):347-54.
9. Kapanadze B*, Morris E*, Smith E, Trojanowska M. (2010) Establishment and characterization of scleroderma fibroblast clonal cell lines by introduction of the hTERT gene. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. 14(5):1156-65. *equal contribution
10. Crocker M, Graham UM, Gonzalez R, Jacobs G, Morris E, Rubel AM, Andrew R. (2007) Preparation and characterization of cerium oxide templated from activated carbon. Journal of Materials Science. 42(10):3454–3464.