Ajna Rivera
PhD, University of California, Berkeley, 2006
BS, Stanford University, 1999
I apply my research on neuroscience and evolution to the classroom. Humans tend to learn best when they are:
1) Taught by another person and
2) Are actively integrating new information into their understanding of the subject
I give my students the resources they need to be efficient learners:
1) I give them learning materials ahead of time so they know what is coming.
2) I encourage them to speak up in class so they can actively question how the new material fits in with what they already know.
3) I ask them a combination of simple and far-reaching questions to help them think over the subject matter and integrate it into their previous understanding of biology.
4) I encourage them to learn from each other since both teaching and listening help solidify understanding of a subject.
Evolution and development of nervous systems, especially of complex features of nervous systems.
Evolution of gene regulatory networks.
Genomics and transcriptomics.
Sexual dimorphism of morphology and behavior
Molecular biology