Dr. Mikaela Schmitt-Harsh is a Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies. Mikaela completed her undergraduate degree in biology at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and her M.S.E.S./M.P.A. from the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University with a dual concentration in Natural Resource Management and Comparative and International Affairs. Mikaela received her Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Indiana University and earned a postdoctoral fellowship position at Carleton College as a Fellow for Innovations in the Liberal Arts, before joining the faculty at JMU. She teaches introductory life science courses and advanced courses for biology majors and honors students in ecology, coffeeology, environmental science, and urban forestry. She approaches teaching as an iterative, evidence-based practice, drawing on scientific thinking to test different instructional approaches, assess their effectiveness, and refine ways to encourage and strengthen student learning.