Kaleb Heinrich
D.A., Biological Sciences, Idaho State University
M.S., Zoology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
B.S., Biology, Kansas State University
Kaleb is from Carlsbad, NM. He and his wife, Ashley (who graduated from Texas A&M), have two daughters and one son. His hobbies include music, sports (especially college football), and the outdoors. Kaleb’s research interests include biology education, active-learning and outreach in STEAM, biology graduate student professional development, and freshwater ecology.
Josiah Cooperwood
Degree sought: M.S., Biological Sciences
B.S., Biology, University of Alabama
My name is Josiah Cooperwood and I am from San Antonio, TX. Currently, I am pursuing a master’s degree in Biology Education and am interested in whether preliminary exposure to the college curriculum impacts students’ future academic success. My hobbies include going for walks, having lunch with friends, and composing music. My goal, similar to notes of piece, is to discover the effective methods which communicate ideas to a classroom and foster students’ personal growth.
Hailee Hass
Degree sought: Ph.D., Biological Sciences
M.S., Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University
B.S., Biology/Ecology, Northern Michigan University
Hailee is from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She and her husband have two dogs (Kona and Fitz) and she loves to gravel bike, mountain bike, and spend time outdoors. Hailee’s research interests include biology education, plant-herbivore interactions, and plant community ecology. Currently, she is working on some projects to improve undergraduate biology education at UA and beyond!
Emery Davis
Degree sought: Ph.D., Biological Sciences
M.S., Biological Sciences, University of Alabama
B.S., Education, University of North Alabama
Hello, my name is Emery Davis, and I am a PhD student with Dr. Heinrich here at the University of Alabama. My hobbies include anything outdoors and adventurous. On any long weekend, or break, you can probably find me hiking out to a backcountry campsite to enjoy a remote overlook with a cup of hot tea. To keep this part brief, I really have a passion for educating students, seeing, and meeting their learning needs, and through doing that helping them to set and achieve their goals. My research focuses on Biology GTA’s training and pedagogy, with a broad end goal of improving science education and therefore undergrads learning experience. One day I hope to apply all that I’ve learned through my experiences and research to my own collegiate classroom.
Kennedy Bicksler
Degree sought: B.S., Biology
Kennedy is from Prosper, Texas, and is pursuing a Biology major with a minor in General Business on the Pre-Dental track. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, golfing, volunteering, and working as a Sterilization Technician at a local dental office in Prosper. On campus, she is actively involved in organizations such as the Pre-Dental Society, Student Government Association, UA Toothfairy, the Honors College, and her sorority. Kennedy aspires to attend dental school to earn her D.M.D. and is eager to expand her knowledge through undergraduate research. Her research will allow her to develop a deeper understanding of scientific inquiry, problem-solving, and critical thinking, all skills that are essential for a future in dentistry.
Madison Woodruff
Degrees sought: B.S. Biology, B.A. Spanish
Madison is from Alabaster, Alabama, and is double majoring in Biology and Spanish on the Pre-Dental track. Her interests include traveling, going to concerts, volunteering, and spending time with family and friends. When on break from school, she works as a surgical dental assistant for an oral surgeon in Birmingham. Some of Madison’s involvement with the University of Alabama includes the UA Pre-Dental Society, Project Health, UA Toothfairy, and RAM (Remote Area Medical). Following her undergraduate studies, Madison plans to attend dental school where she will obtain her D.M.D. She looks forward to engaging in undergraduate research that aligns with her biological and professional interests. She aims to apply her undergraduate and professional education to deliver high-quality patient care to communities across Alabama.
Molly LeGrand
Degree sought: B.S., Psychology
Molly is from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and is majoring in Psychology on the Pre-Medical track. She also minors in Biology and hopes to attend medical school when she graduates. She is involved in Dare to Diagnose, the Society of Women in Medicine, the Honors College at UA, Alpha Epsilon Delta, and volunteers at the local hospital, DCH, in the cancer center. Her interests include reading, hanging out with friends and family, spending time outdoors, and cooking. She is passionate about research and working in Dr. Heinrich’s Lab.
Emilea Mitchell
Degree sought: B.S., Biology
Emilea is from Alexandria, AL and is majoring in Biology on the Pre-Medical track and minoring in Athletic Training. She hopes to attend medical school to pursue a career as an orthopedic surgeon. Some of Emilea’s interests include serving in her church, spending time with friends and family, traveling, art, and music. As a student at the University of Alabama, she has been involved in Freshman Forum, Pre-Medical Clubs, and the Alabama Girls State Alumni Club. She is also heavily involved in the college ministry at Calvary Baptist Church, serving as a freshman girls life group leader. Her research, under Kaleb Henrich and Emery Staggs, is focused on Biology pedagogy and aims to improve GTA confidence levels and teaching skills and optimize undergraduate active learning strategies. Emilea’s goal for her research is to work with others to benefit both instructors and students, and gain knowledge and understanding, while addressing misconceptions and inconsistencies in biology education.
Former Members
Claudia Walker
B.S., Chemistry, 2025
Claudia is from Ozark, Alabama, and majors in Chemistry on a Pre-Dental track. She also minors in Biology and is excited to pursue undergraduate research related to her biological and professional interests. Her interests include working in ministry at her church, playing the piano, and spending time with family and friends. Claudia’s involvement with the University of Alabama includes membership in the Honors College, Pre-Dental Society, and the UA Be Positive (+) organization. Following her undergraduate studies, Claudia plans to attend dental school where she will obtain her D.M.D. She hopes to use her undergraduate and professional training to provide quality patient care to areas of rural Alabama.
Abigail Pecoraro
B.S., Biology, 2025
Abby is from Lake Villa Illinois and is a biology major on the pre-health track. She hopes to attend medical school to pursue a career in pediatric emergency medicine. She is involved in the medicine and community club on campus, as well as working as a volunteer for the hospital. She also works in the ED as a registrar and is very passionate about medicine and hopes to be able to make a difference in the field. Her research is related to her interests in biology and the undergraduate pre-health track.
Maria Evola
B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies, 2024
Learning Assistant for BSC 114 – Principles of Biology I
Maria is from Grosse Pointe Shores, MI and majors in Clinical Arts. She is in medical school and hopes to combine art and medicine as a plastic surgeon. Her interests include dancing for Alabama Football and Basketball games, learning about the world around her by spending time outside and volunteering, and traveling the world. Maria’s academic interests include active learning in STEAM, health and cultural geography, and organic chemistry.
Micah King
B.S., Biology, 2023
Learning Assistant for BSC 120 – Honors General Biology II
Micah is from Prattville, AL. He majored in Biology with a minor in English. While attending the University of Alabama, Micah was engaged in various academic and leadership extracurriculars. He was a member of the Honors College and held positions as an Honors Year One mentor and intern. In these roles, Micah supported the Honors College via event coordinating, classroom facilitation, peer mentoring, and prospective/incoming student engagement. In the biology department, Micah was a mentor for Biology Bootcamp, an Outreach mentor, and a Learning assistant. In these positions, Micah counseled students on how to achieve their academic goals and provided classroom logistic support to faculty. Micah has secured a postgrad position as a clinical laboratory scientist in Madison, WI. There he will be doing diagnostic testing for cololrectal cancer. Micah’s future career goals are to apply to medical school and become a board-certified dermatologist.
Alex Williams
B.S., Biology, 2023
Alex is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and majored in Microbiology with a minor in Psychology. He is at the University of South Alabama for medical school and one day hopes to become an emergency medicine physician. His interests include aviation, fishing, and serving with his church. Alex’s research explored the concept of “Sense of Belonging” in a freshmen honors biology classroom at the University of Alabama. He looks forward to seeing future students continue with research in this area to gather more comprehensive data that might assist in making the University of Alabama and the Department of Biological Sciences a more welcoming and encouraging environment.
Kyondra Harvey Irby
B.S., Biology, 2023
Learning Assistant for BSC 114 – Principles of Biology I
I am Kyondra Harvey Irby, from Hueytown, AL. I am a University of Alabama graduate. I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor in Biology on a Pre-Dental track. While at the Capstone, I was recipient of the BFS Earnestine Tucker Award, was a member of Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, BFS Sandral Hullett Award recipient, Outstanding Chemistry Award recipient, Pre-Dental Society member, Vice President of the Good Samaritan Club, a Biology Bootcamp Mentor, and a Biology Outreach Mentor.
Isaiah Bastien
Re-IMAGiNE Life REU Summer 2022
Lawson State, Degree: Computer Science
My name is Isaiah Bastien. I’m currently a computer science scholar at Lawson State Community College. My favorite things to do is to listen to music and play video games. Over the summer of 2022 I worked with Dr. Kaleb Heinrich on implementing active learning into undergraduate courses (specifically biology) as part of UA’s summer REU program: Re-IMAGiNE Life, Exploring Function through Adaptation. I was interested in comparing active learning use in STEM classrooms at community colleges and four year institutions. Our results demonstrate that lecturing continues to be the dominate mode of instruction for undergraduate biology.
Monica Lafferty
B.S., Biology, 2022
Monica Lafferty is from Boston, MA. I had the pleasure of studying the effects of COVID-19 on undergraduate students at the University of Alabama. By doing this, I used a tool called COPUS (Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergrad STEM) which is designed to evaluate teacher and student behavior in the classroom. There was a dramatic shift of undergrad classes from in-person to virtual or hybrid during the COVID-19 pandemic. To see the shift, I reached out to the intro to biology professors to see if they were willing to share their videos from pre-pandemic as well as lectures recorded during the pandemic. I then watched the 60-minute lecture and charted every 2 minutes what the instructor was doing and what the students were doing using the COPUS protocol. The results gave us an overall picture of how the pandemic has affected the intro to biology lecture classroom, mainly reducing active learning, and provide a way to help faculty members and their students evaluate how they are spending their time in lecture.
Hannah Schmidt
B.S., Biology, 2022
Hannah is from Bethalto, IL, majoring in Biology with a minor in Psychology. Hannah is in medical school at Southern Illinois University. Her interests include exercising, reading, volunteering her local church nursery, hockey (Lets Go Blues!) and of course college football. Her research interests include biology education and brain astrocyte function. Hannah’s project involves developing an inquiry-based field and laboratory investigation of ecological succession. This recommended-content report will be used in high school AP Environmental Science courses as well as lower-level undergraduate biology courses.
Angel Tarabay
B.S., Public Health, 2020
Angel is from Nashville, Tennessee. She studies public health and biology at The University of Alabama. Her interests include teaching science, reading, volunteering at the local elementary school, and spending time outdoors with her two dogs. Angel’s research interests revolve around biology education, behavioral and linguistic mannerisms of individuals, and STEAM outreach in young children. She conducted a project that evaluated and assessed an ecology lab course that had to transitioned to fully on-line due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parker Dean
B.S., Chemistry, 2022
Parker’s project is looking at graduate teaching assistant (TA) instruction in lower level biology laboratories for majors. He is using the Laboratory Observation Protocol (LOPUS) tool to assess the behaviors of the students and the TAs. The results of Parker’s project will help inform and enhance the experience of both the undergraduate student and the TA.
Chandler Noordhoff
B.S., Biology & B.S., Studio Art (Ceramics), 2020
Chandler is from Dallas, Texas and double-majored in Biology and Studio Art. Her interests include painting and ceramics, volunteering at the hospital, and traveling. Paired with the Biology Outreach Program, her research focused on the effects of implementing artistic elements in active learning projects, and how it can benefit a child’s understanding of the subject. It’s our goal to see how student’s participation affects comprehension and to provide helpful feedback for educators, while encouraging kid’s passion for STEM subjects. Roll Tide!