Teaching and Oral Communication Skills
NEW (as of 2023): Have been honored to become a docent for the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM)
Besides my Master of Science degree from Teacher's College / Columbia University, I have been formally and informally trained in narrative story-telling, gamification and other innovative teaching techniques, including participation in recent seminars and demos by Randy Olsen Productions as well as the
Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science.
* Adept at distilling technical info into displays and presentations easily understandable by general audiences.
Subjects
Have given countless presentations to diverse populations on nutrition; weight loss; agriculture (all aspects - see below); alternative energy systems; healing and health through humor and creativity; and most recently art (at AVAM).
Locations
Presentations have been made in hospitals and health clinics; churches and synagogues; schools and universities; corporations; hotels; retail stores; health fairs; professional exhibitions; and federal facilities.
At USDA - ARS National Visitor Center (1994 - 2011 and 2014 - present):
Provided in-depth educational (and entertaining) programs for visitors from all over the world to the world’s largest agricultural research center (Beltsville Ag Research Center), reaching approximately 10,000 visitors per year (at the National Visitor Center / presently much fewer hosted as an office of one). Present duties include planning and hosting Diversity Outreach events and Employee Engagement activities.
[Have 4 large notebooks filled with "thank you" notes and letters of praise over the years]
Audiences:
Visitors have included a multitude of scientist delegations; military colleges and intelligence agencies; media representatives and book authors; national state-wide farm bureaus; students (grade school through grad school); teachers, professors, and other educators; U.S. Congressional members and staff; international diplomats [including Ambassadors, Science and Ag Attachés, Ministers and Secretaries of Agriculture; Royalty families (including the King of Cameroon); Parliament members; foreign government and industry scientists]; as well as general consumer groups.
Agricultural Topics:
Presented comprehensive information to these diverse visitors on all aspects of agriculture including sustainable agriculture systems; plant and animal sciences; biotechnology; entomology; hydrology; remote sensing; precision farming; biocontrol; renewable energy; environmental management; biobased products; organic farming practices; food safety; compost, waste, and water management; instrumentation and sensing; technology transfer; and human nutrition research programs, projects, and issues.
Multi-Task:
Conducted these programs (a.k.a. tours) through a Public Address system while driving a bus powered with bio-diesel extracted from soybean oil (click here for photo).
Also see "Media" section for virtual tours.
At hospitals, retirement communities, synagogues, churches, wellness centers (and recently) at the AVAM:
Gave many fun interactive presentations on weight loss diets; healthy meal plans and good nutrition; health through good humor; stress reduction techniques.
Outside-of-work presentation examples:
Besides my Master of Science degree from Teacher's College / Columbia University, I have been formally and informally trained in narrative story-telling, gamification and other innovative teaching techniques, including participation in recent seminars and demos by Randy Olsen Productions as well as the
Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science.
* Adept at distilling technical info into displays and presentations easily understandable by general audiences.
Subjects
Have given countless presentations to diverse populations on nutrition; weight loss; agriculture (all aspects - see below); alternative energy systems; healing and health through humor and creativity; and most recently art (at AVAM).
Locations
Presentations have been made in hospitals and health clinics; churches and synagogues; schools and universities; corporations; hotels; retail stores; health fairs; professional exhibitions; and federal facilities.
At USDA - ARS National Visitor Center (1994 - 2011 and 2014 - present):
Provided in-depth educational (and entertaining) programs for visitors from all over the world to the world’s largest agricultural research center (Beltsville Ag Research Center), reaching approximately 10,000 visitors per year (at the National Visitor Center / presently much fewer hosted as an office of one). Present duties include planning and hosting Diversity Outreach events and Employee Engagement activities.
[Have 4 large notebooks filled with "thank you" notes and letters of praise over the years]
Audiences:
Visitors have included a multitude of scientist delegations; military colleges and intelligence agencies; media representatives and book authors; national state-wide farm bureaus; students (grade school through grad school); teachers, professors, and other educators; U.S. Congressional members and staff; international diplomats [including Ambassadors, Science and Ag Attachés, Ministers and Secretaries of Agriculture; Royalty families (including the King of Cameroon); Parliament members; foreign government and industry scientists]; as well as general consumer groups.
Agricultural Topics:
Presented comprehensive information to these diverse visitors on all aspects of agriculture including sustainable agriculture systems; plant and animal sciences; biotechnology; entomology; hydrology; remote sensing; precision farming; biocontrol; renewable energy; environmental management; biobased products; organic farming practices; food safety; compost, waste, and water management; instrumentation and sensing; technology transfer; and human nutrition research programs, projects, and issues.
Multi-Task:
Conducted these programs (a.k.a. tours) through a Public Address system while driving a bus powered with bio-diesel extracted from soybean oil (click here for photo).
Also see "Media" section for virtual tours.
At hospitals, retirement communities, synagogues, churches, wellness centers (and recently) at the AVAM:
Gave many fun interactive presentations on weight loss diets; healthy meal plans and good nutrition; health through good humor; stress reduction techniques.
Outside-of-work presentation examples:
- Gave a 2-hour presentation (98% entertaining photos and graphics PPT + intermission) on “The Sudoku Diet for Health” at a book signing event via a Health and Wellness Fair (Howard County, MD).
- Taught two 2-hour interactive classes entitled "The 13 Senses of Sensible Eating" as part of a senior adult education class (Montgomery County, MD).
- Gave a 3-hour presentation (also 98% entertaining photos and graphics PPT + intermission) on “Energy for Your Body, Mind, Auto, Home, and Planet” at the Green Building Institute.
School teaching examples (also outside of work):
- Have taught nutrition at several elementary schools dressed as "Mr. Nutrition" with a self-created costume, including an orange cone-shaped hat with green hair and mustache (to look like an inverted carrot). [Long Island, NY; Beckley, WV; Pittsburgh, PA; Falls Church, VA; and Howard County, MD]
- Have taught a Camp Invention STEM summer class on environmental science within a middle school (Baltimore County, MD).
- Have taught about agriculture research to high school students at the Applications and Research Laboratory (Howard County, MD).
- Have taught a college-level fast-track Nutrition 101 class at Howard Community College (Howard County, MD) to pre-med, physical therapy, biomedical and nursing students.
Adept in the use of most multimedia presentation programs and equipment.