Teaching is deeply meaningful work, but it can also be demanding work. In this episode of InCITEful Teaching, host Dr. Shannon Harmon sits down with Dr. Emily Stafford, Director of Mississippi State University's Psychology Clinic, to explore faculty well-being, burnout, work-life balance, and the importance of seeking support.

Together, they discuss how burnout manifests in higher education, the unique pressures faculty face, practical strategies for setting boundaries, and ways institutions and colleagues can foster healthier academic cultures. Dr. Stafford also shares information about the Psychology Clinic's services and offers guidance for faculty and students.

Whether you're navigating a challenging semester, supporting colleagues, or simply looking for ways to sustain yourself in this important work, this conversation offers thoughtful insights and practical takeaways.

Dr. Andrew Mercer is a meteorologist and climatologist at Mississippi State University, home to one in three of today's on-air broadcast meteorologists. As Graduate Coordinator for the Department of Geosciences and meteorology team lead, his research applies machine learning and AI to large scale atmospheric problems, from severe weather forecasting to hurricane prediction.

In this conversation with host Dr. Shannon Harmon, Andrew reflects on what it means to teach in a nationally recognized program built around both the science and the communication of weather. He shares how MSU prepares students for careers across the country, how uncertainty is woven into meteorology as a discipline, and how he is thinking about the role AI might play in the future of the field and the classroom.

For faculty wondering how to approach AI in their own classrooms, Andrew's advice is simple: treat it as a tool, meet your students where they are, and keep the focus on critical thinking.

Dr. Neil Deochand is completing his first year as an assistant professor at Mississippi State University. He came with a doctorate in behavior analysis, years of online teaching experience, and a lot of ideas about how people learn. This year, he has been putting all of it into practice at Mississippi State.

In this conversation with host Dr. Shannon Harmon, Neil reflects on what it looks like to experiment with your teaching while navigating the realities of a first year at a new institution. He shares how he brings the experimental mindset of a researcher into the classroom, what hands-on learning looks like in a behavior analysis course, and what he has learned about his students and himself along the way.

The willingness to experiment, reflect, and adjust turns out to be not just good science. It's good teaching.