EvyJo Compton
Reporter
Tiffany Gibson is a part-time microbiology instructor, switching her focus from veterinary medicine to the study of microorganisms, whom began teaching at Parkland College in 2012.
“I started off my journey to Parkland when I realized I didn’t like the veterinarian route,” Tiffany Gibson said. “I worked in a vet clinic, and enjoyed talking to and teaching the patient’s owners, but the rest wasn’t exactly for me. I really enjoyed the teaching aspect of it. I ended up in grad school, and was taking several classes related to ecology and microbiology.”
Gibson started teaching biology in 2010 at Lake Land College, and then became a part-time professor of microbiology at Parkland in 2012.
“I was here interviewing for a general biology class position,” she said. “I started talking about parasites, and other micro related things when [the interviewer] stopped me, and told me that if I was interested in teaching micro, that she possibly had a different position for me. She said she would call me back later, and here I am.”
Gibson does not advise any clubs at this point, but she is a member of her local home-brewing club.
“I did a little piece on yeast for their blog. It amazes me that the same species of yeast can give so many different flavors. It’s a fun club that I get to be a part of, and I get to be involved in the community which is another plus.”
In the future, Gibson hopes to become a full-time microbiology professor.
“My goal would be to stay at Parkland and teach full-time,” she says. “It just amazes me how open and inspiring Parkland is—the communication between faculty and departments is amazing…Everyone is so willing to work together complete tasks smoothly. I can’t imagine a better place to work “