As a teacher my goals are not only to ensure that students learn the fundamental concepts of the courses I teach, but also that they build on their learning skills and learn how to recognize and address new, emerging environmental problems.  In an era of globalization and the exponential growth of scientific knowledge and human population, I believe that critical thinking and the ability to solve problems are the most important skills students must have to become productive members of society.  I find teaching a very important part of my work not only in class, but also collecting in the field and ..\kalina.manoylov\My Documents\My Pictures\web\advising students.jpg.

As a scientist my primary research is guided from the following questions:

What traits give advantages in algal species interactions within algal communities?

What are the factors causing changes in algal species abundance and distribution?

I am very interested in understanding morphological changes in algae and the conservative principles in algal taxonomy, particularly that of diatoms.  The approaches that I take to understanding the patterns and processes in benthic algal communities are to assess multi-species interactions and community traits over different spatial and temporal scales and environmental conditions.

As an active participant in the public understanding of the environment we live in, I bring my scientific expertise to communicate problems. I am using algal community data to understand environmental changes and anthropogenic effects in different aquatic environments.  With my research I directly relate the changes humans bring to nature and the changes in biodiversity and species composition of the primary producers. Those direct cause and effect relationships are understandable by the public and sought after by the policy makers.