Teaching

Teaching & mentoring.

I believe deeply in teaching as a form of service. I've designed and taught courses on biogeochemistry, food systems, and ecology at Cornell University and the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies.

01 — Courses Taught
2026Lecturer

Fundamentals of Ecosystem Ecology

Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies.

Fall 2024Instructor of Record

Topics in Biogeochemistry BIOEE 7600

Graduate seminar course on biogeochemistry. Cornell University.

Fall 2023Instructor of Record

What's for Dinner BIOEE 1640

Undergraduate course on food systems, sustainability, and nutrition. Cornell University.

Spring 2024Co-Instructor

Graduate Field Course BIOEE 6602

Cornell University.

Spring 2022Co-Instructor

Quantitative Ecology BIOEE 4940

Cornell University.

2021–2024Teaching Assistant

Advanced Ecology BIOEE 3610

Lab TA, multiple semesters. Cornell University.

Summer 2023Teaching Assistant

Intro to Evolution & Diversity BIOEE 1781

Cornell University.

02 — Graduate Students

Direct mentorship, and in several cases a first publication.

For these students I have served as a direct mentor, helping facilitate some of their first publications, though I am not formally a member of their committees.

Northeastern Forestry UniversityHarbin, China

Guangkai Zhou

Graduate student. Two publications to date.

Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY

Gen-Chang Hsu

Graduate student. Research on carnivorous plant ecology as part of the graduate field course, resulting in publication in Oikos.

Institute of Botany, CASBeijing, China

Junfeng Gao

Graduate student. One publication in review.

03 — Undergraduate Mentees

Two have since won NSF Graduate Research Fellowships.

2024Cornell '26

Charlotte Tysall

Field assistant for phosphorus phytoremediation research in Florida. Charlotte went on to found the Cornell ESA SEEDs chapter.

2022–2023Cornell '23

Ginny Halterman

Advised on honors thesis and NSF GRFP application. Currently M.S. student, University of Delaware.

2021–2022Cornell '22

Daniela Rodriguez-Chavez

Advised on honors thesis and NSF GRFP proposal. Currently Ph.D. candidate and NSF GRFP Fellow, UC Berkeley.

04 — In the Field & Classroom

Get in touch.

petticordd@caryinstitute.org