What's included
1 live meeting
40 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
US Grade 4 - 6
This class is Part 2 of the Insect Research Series. However, learners can take each part out of order as each class does not build on each other. Background knowledge is NOT required for this class. Each week, we will research and discuss a different insect following the schedule below. After Week 12, the class is going to cycle back to Week 1. Entomology Research Part 2 Week of June 5 - Week 1: Gum-leaf skeletoniser Week of June 12 - Week 2: Peanut-headed Lanternfly Week of June 19 - Week 3: Brazilian Treehopper Week of June 26 - Week 4: Pale tussock Week 5: Pipevine swallowtail Week 6: Brown marmorated stink bug Week 7: Common walking stick Week 8: Thorn bug Week 9: Common water strider Week 10: Tarantula hawk Week 11: Giant desert centipede Week 12: Eastern hercules beetle Some of the information that learners will research and discuss in class includes: Scientific classification Physical characteristics and function Behavior Role in ecosystem Habitat where they are found OPTIONAL: The insect of the week will be known ahead of time to encourage learners to conduct research before class but this is NOT MANDATORY. The class will primarily be structured as a discussion guided by the information that learners found/find in their research before and during in-class research. At the end of the 12 weeks, learners can download the google doc used in class to put together a mini encyclopedia of the insects covered in class.
Other Details
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Teacher expertise and credentials
Doctoral Degree in Science from Rice University
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Dr. Lopez has been teaching science-related courses on Outschool since March 2020. Some of the general topics she has taught include Microbiology, Marine Biology, Ornithology, Botany, Herpetology, environmental science with research and presentation components.
She previously taught undergraduate non-science and science major courses in Ecology, Tropical Biology, and Life Sciences at University of California, Irvine. Furthermore, she lead undergraduate field and lab courses in Ornithology, Ecology, and Biodiversity at Rice University.
EDUCATION
Dr. Lopez earned a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Rice University in Houston, TX and earned a B.S. in Biology from University California, Los Angeles.
Research Experience
Dr. Lopez has conducted research in various ecosystems including mudflats and salt marshes (marine ecosystems), freshwater wetlands, and coastal and riparian terrestrial habitats. Her research has focused on species interactions (herbivore- plant, and plant-plant, predator- prey) and how climate change, water pollution, Nitrogen deposition, and invasive species affect these interactions at the species and community level.
GOALS
Dr. Lopez enjoys motivating and inspiring learners via her teaching to increase interest in science fields. In her courses, Dr. Lopez focuses on transferable skills that learners can use and apply to different areas and career paths. Furthermore, she provides the information necessary so that learners are equipped to make decisions as informed citizens of society in the future about the future of science and current environmental issues.
COURSE POLICIES
1. The courses follow the ‘Limited’ refund model. Parents may withdraw up to a week before class starts with a full refund. Within this timeframe, parents may request a transfer to a new section no less than 72 hours before class is scheduled to start.
2. If your learner has not joined the meeting 10 minutes after the scheduled class start time, the meeting will be cancelled. This is considered a missed meeting and you are not entitled to a refund.
3. If your learner misses 3 consecutive class meetings without previous communication with Dr. Lopez, you forfeit the class fee (no refunds), and any remaining sessions of the class will be cancelled.
4. In the event that a learner misses a class, recordings are privately made available in each classroom upon request if at least one learner is in attendance for that session. However, a recording is not available for sessions in which there is only one learner enrolled.
5. Learners must be respectful at all times of Dr. Lopez and ALL other learners in the class with no exception.
6. Make-up sessions will be provided if there is a problem and Dr. Lopez cannot attend class due to an unforeseen emergency.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$44
weekly1x per week
40 min
Completed by 2 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-12
2-5 learners per class