Kevin Weitemier is no stranger to teaching: he taught for three years while working on his Master’s Degree in Biology. So when the Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching (GCCUT) program started two years ago, he jumped on the opportunity to develop his professional training on teaching at the College and University level. This program gives Kevin the tools he needs to succeed in the classroom, but he also sees his work moving beyond this space.

“I enjoy bringing a subject to students that, in the case of Plant Systematics, they might not have much experience in. Whether they take those skills into their own employment in the future or whether they continue into a research track, they’ll be growing that subject … They have this larger awareness of a subject I’m interested in and think is important.”

Kevin increases this awareness both inside the classroom and out. In addition to working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Oregon State University and teaching a lab, Kevin volunteers with the Native Plant Society of Oregon and was president of the Corvallis chapter for two years. In this role, Kevin organized hikes, lined up speakers for the monthly meetings, and taught adults in an informal learning environment. When reflecting on this work, Kevin says that it provided “a good challenge to make material interesting to a general audience that wasn’t there as part of a course.”

Although Kevin enjoys growing his field of interest by teaching others about plant systematics, he also conducts his own research and is active in the larger academic community. For the past few years, he has helped organize a workshop at the National Botany Conference. Last year, after his GCCUT training, Kevin approached this workshop in a new way.

“I was able to implement a pre and post survey or evaluation of the participants, which helped get an idea of what they were gaining from this workshop I was helping with. That came directly from some of the GCCUT suggestions.”

Kevin relies on his training and experience both in and outside of the classroom, developing new tools and techniques that will assist him as a teacher and researcher in his field. After finishing the program, Kevin has gained more than just the certificate itself. He’s leaving with a formal education on how to teach that will assist him in any path his career may take.