Tina Ayers
Title: Associate Professor
Department: Biological Sciences
Degrees:
B.S. Botany � University of Texas, Austin
Ph.D. Botany - University of Texas. Austin
Biography
I began teaching Biological Sciences Department in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences in 1990. My current research is on reconstructing evolutionary relationships in flowering plants, mostly Asterids, in SW US, Mexico, Central, and South America, floristics/biogeography.
Courses I currently teach are:
BIO 284 Botany
BIO 374 Economic Botany
BIO 414 Native Plants of Arizona
BIO 415 Plant Taxonomy
Growing up on Air Force Bases throughout the Southwest, I spent more time in Austin, TX than anywhere else until moving to Flagstaff. I discovered I wanted to teach college when I became a a Teaching Assistant during my Ph.D studies. I loved it! Since I began teaching here, I have received the NAU Teaching Award, 1986 and the NAU Service Award, 2006. I am the faculty advisor for the NAU Botany Club.
I�m currently a member of the Arizona Native Plant Society, the Arboretum at Flagstaff, Arizona Ethnobotanical Research Association, San Francisco Peaks Weed Management Area, Botanical Society of America, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, International Association of Plant Taxonomists and the Willi Hennig Society.
In my spare time, I enjoy gardening, hiking, biking, backpacking, traveling in Latin America.
To read more about my research and the classes I teach, visit my website.
Courses I currently teach are:
BIO 284 Botany
BIO 374 Economic Botany
BIO 414 Native Plants of Arizona
BIO 415 Plant Taxonomy
Growing up on Air Force Bases throughout the Southwest, I spent more time in Austin, TX than anywhere else until moving to Flagstaff. I discovered I wanted to teach college when I became a a Teaching Assistant during my Ph.D studies. I loved it! Since I began teaching here, I have received the NAU Teaching Award, 1986 and the NAU Service Award, 2006. I am the faculty advisor for the NAU Botany Club.
I�m currently a member of the Arizona Native Plant Society, the Arboretum at Flagstaff, Arizona Ethnobotanical Research Association, San Francisco Peaks Weed Management Area, Botanical Society of America, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, International Association of Plant Taxonomists and the Willi Hennig Society.
In my spare time, I enjoy gardening, hiking, biking, backpacking, traveling in Latin America.
To read more about my research and the classes I teach, visit my website.
What do you enjoy most about teaching at Northern Arizona University?
I enjoy the access to a fantastic outdoor classroom--there are very few places on earth where you can access most of the major biomes worldwide (alpine tundra to three of the four great North American deserts) in just 2-3 hours max.
What do students like best about your class?
Students like the field courses. The southwestern US is our laboratory of choice! Field courses are probably the most popular because every year is new/different. We never know what we will discover. Material covered in Economic Botany lasts a life time at least in the plants as food/nutrition realm. Material covered in other courses prepare students for field oriented jobs or research in grad school.
In what ways have undergraduates participated in your research or other creative endeavors?
Students have participated in all aspects of my research from discovering new species on mountain tops in the Andes to molecular genetics work in the lab.
What has been your greatest success while teaching at Northern Arizona University?
Taking students who initially dislike my class and are doing quite poorly academically on an extended field trip and watching them turn into avid botanists in the field. Some have changed their minds about plants, changed their majors, or changed their lives because of field experiences during botany classes.
What have you learned from your students?
How to effectively communicate the important stuff and what the important stuff is. How to write tests, cook in dutch ovens, organize material, recognize the constellations, simplify, multitask.
What is your favorite class to teach at Northern Arizona University and why?
Plant Taxonomy because it is the most powerful course. It teaches the students how to interpret anything they see, anywhere on earth, and gives them the skills needed to identify the material.
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