Experience Summary
I have gained experience of teaching various aspects of Molecular and Cellular Biology to graduate and undergraduate students in the last 12 years. The topics I have taught include: (i) Cytokine-mediated signal transduction in inflammatory immune diseases and tumor immunology, (ii) Biology and differentiation mechanisms of brain tumor stem cells, normal neural stem cells and their therapeutic implications, (iii) Angiogenesis, cell survival and apoptosis in brain cancer and inflammation, and (iv) Introductory Biological Chemistry.
And I will be very much interested in developing and teaching programs in the areas of cutting-edge Biotechnology addressing the molecular understanding of underlying principles and laboratory applications in health and disease. In my current position at LRI, although the scope of teaching is limited to mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and research associates, I have developed genuine interest in teaching.
Despite the institutional limitations, I served as (i) a Course Organizer and Instructor of the Spring Semester Course CHM750 (2002) on Signal Transduction in Health and Disease at Cleveland State University, (ii) an Invited Lecturer of the Spring Semester Course Biology 672/872 (2202) on Advanced Topics in Disease Mechanisms at Cleveland State University, (iii) a Facilitator of the Gene Search Course/Bioinformatics Teaching Program (2004), Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, (iv) as Course Organizer and Instructor of the Current Concepts in Cancer Initiation and Progression, Cleveland State University, Summer Course: CSU-BIO-888/688 (2006), (v) a Course Organizer and Instructor of the Cancer and Inflammation, Cleveland State University, Spring Course CSU BIO 688/888 (2010), (vi) a Lecturer of the Immunology Course (2010) of Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, and (vii) a Lecturer of the Introduction to Biological Chemistry Course BIO 1100 2011 at Cuyahoga Community College (Evening Section).
I have been interested in teaching and training summer students from colleges and high schools. To this end, I trained undergraduate students from University of Pennsylvania, Boston University, and Duquesne University, and a high school student from Strongsville High School, Ohio. In addition, I have also served as member of dissertation and qualifying examination committees of a good number of Ph.D. students in Cleveland State University and in Kent State University.
Thus, I have acquired an excellent track record of teaching leadership. In 2012, I obtained Recognition Certificate for dedicated service in the Educational Programs of Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.
Teaching Style
My teaching philosophy comes from the very core of my career mission that is an acquisition of knowledge as the ultimate goal. And I strongly believe that I can reach that goal by pursuing studies that involve both research and teaching. Accordingly, I have pursued my carrier in biomedical research working in a number of renowned institutions like the National Institutes of Health, Georgetown University Medical Center, the Hospital for Sick Children affiliated with the Toronto University, and the Lerner Research Institute of Cleveland Clinic. Although, I have enjoyed limited scope of class room teaching in these institutions, I have taught high school, undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate and medical students, which I enjoyed very much. I strongly believe that teaching is a noble profession which is profoundly rewarding to me when I see that my students are effectively learning and succeeding in their professions.
My philosophy of teaching emphasizes the following points. First, prior to teaching a topic of my interest I must acquire an impression about the status of relevant background knowledge of my students. This will help me identify the knowledge gap, if there is any, between the background knowledge of students and materials to be taught. Second, I prefer to teach a topic by following a question-answer model similar to problem based learning wherever possible. Third, I would like to breakdown a whole topic into a possible number of summary statements that are linked in a tail-to-head fashion for reconstructing the whole story. Fourth, before moving to a next topic, I must make sure that students have fully learned the materials I offer. Importantly, I want to maximize my effort to teach students how to think rationally and critically. I love to encourage my students to think of innovative solutions to problems. This will be achieved by adequately emphasizing on the fundamental points on which story of the topic is built, followed by taking an appropriate test on the materials. An outcome of such a test will inform me the level of knowledge an individual student has acquired. Accordingly, I will be able to help if any students may need individual special attention. Fifth, my mission is to drive the growth of knowledge in students with my fullest motivation and commitment to make them motivated and learned. And importantly, I would like to do so in collaboration with my existing colleagues utilizing the existing teaching aids and other resources. And to do so, I would like to develop or revise curricula that give the best results. Moreover, I am very much interested in developing and teaching programs in the areas of cutting-edge Biotechnology addressing the molecular understanding of underlying principles and laboratory applications in health and disease.
My Hobbies
Studying Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics and Astrophysics
Reading poetry and listening music
Fishing
Cooking
Writing articles on Philosophy of Science and Culture
Reading comparative Theology