Teaching experience

Utopia

I had a life-changing opportunity to work for four years and a half as an instructor in a project called Utopia at La Salle University in Colombia. This project generates educational opportunities for young people from rural sectors, with limited economic resources, who have been affected by violence, poor education, and social exclusion in Colombia.

My best selfie ever with all my students at the Utopia campus

In Utopia, students are trained in crop production through the philosophy “learning while making and teaching while demonstrating”. This experience allowed me to observe how powerful and effective practical learning is to teach science, and how students quickly developed practical skills and were able to describe and discuss natural phenomena. As well as to actively participate in the generation of research questions.

During this period, I was the instructor for courses on entomology, integrated pest management, agroecology, and plant biology. I also directed practical activities in the production of tropical fruit crops.

I also mentored 17 students in the development of productive projects with different crops in their regions of origin. This job was a requirement to obtain their degree as Agronomic Engineers.

Publications from students

Pachon, J., Espinosa, J., Bonilla, J.D., Murcia, N., Cañas, P., Ariza, R., Saenz., S. Obregon, D. 2020. Identification of complementary food sources for pollinators in Passiflora crops. Revista Institucional de la Universidad de la Salle.

Alfonso, O.J., Casanova B., Contreras, M., Guerrero R., Montaño, V., Rocha, S., Severiche, D., Obregon, D. 2020. Effect of blanching and seed removal on badea pulp characteristics (Passiflora quadrangularis). Revista Institucional de la Universidad de la Salle.

Students evaluating post-harvest characteristics of Badea Passiflora quadrangularis

Cornell Diversity Preview Weekend

Since 2019, I am a co-leader of the Diversity preview weekend at Cornell. This is a graduate student-led initiative aimed at closing gaps in access to graduate programs for underrepresented minority students, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, in the life sciences at Cornell and across the United States.

We organize an annual event that includes networking opportunities with faculties and graduate students, professional development workshops, one on one feedback on material applications, campus and facilities tours (When not on pandemic), and familiarization with the graduate school application process.

Or next event is happening on September and the applications will be open soon.

DPW 2020 On line Event, Networking and social interaction space