Public health and environmental health are so important to understanding the world around us. Knowing that my students will walk away with knowledge and empowerment to make a difference in public health is what motivates me to teach.
Lecturer
I teach to make a difference in this world and find it to be very fulfilling. I am passionate about connecting learning to a student’s personal experiences and how they will interact/connect with the world around them.
I initially started out in biological oceanography and made my way into public health because I was interested in the impact humans were having on infectious disease in coastal ecosystems. Over the years, I have worked in labs studying in this area by investigating antibiotic-resistant aquatic pathogens, water quality, and the impacts of coastal pollutants on pathogen ecology. After I finished graduate school, I went to work for the Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory at the FDA. There, I worked on projects relating to the current research needs in seafood safety to protect public health.
Waterborne pathogens are the area I find most interesting about environmental health science. Specifically, how climate change is affecting waterborne pathogen ecology in different areas of the world.
My philosophy on teaching is to make the content of my courses accessible and applicable to students of all backgrounds and experiences. This is accomplished through integration of real-world experiences and offering students autonomy to select topics/exam questions from a larger list of options. This allows them to learn foundational material but also apply it to their lives and communities. I also like to incorporate collaborative discussions and skill-building beyond simple regurgitation of facts. This gives students an opportunity to develop higher-order thinking skills such as critical thinking and synthesis.
I hope by the end of the semester that students understand how widespread and prevalent the field of environmental health is in our everyday lives. I also want students to be aware of the modern issues in environmental health and how we are currently solving those issues. Finally, the biggest takeaway from my classes is that we have come so far in terms of protection from environmental contaminants, but also that environmental injustice is real and not everyone has the same level of protection as others.
My interests include creating art and music, spending time with my family, and enjoying nature. My favorite place to vacation is the beach and I have two cats, Salem and Atlas.
Learn more about Keri Lydon