Professional Experience
Georgia Southern University - Department of Biology
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
Life Sciences Program Coordinator
January 2024 - Present
My main duty is to coordinate the NSF RaMP MROC2S (Mentoring and Research Opportunities for Careers in Coastal Science) program at Georgia Southern. I serve as the primary point of contact for fellows, faculty mentors, University administration, and program partners. I logistically support program fellows through direct mentorship, research assistance, and planning of professional development opportunities. I am the program lead for advertisement and recruitment of fellows.
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
Life Sciences Program Coordinator
January 2024 - Present
My main duty is to coordinate the NSF RaMP MROC2S (Mentoring and Research Opportunities for Careers in Coastal Science) program at Georgia Southern. I serve as the primary point of contact for fellows, faculty mentors, University administration, and program partners. I logistically support program fellows through direct mentorship, research assistance, and planning of professional development opportunities. I am the program lead for advertisement and recruitment of fellows.
Georgia Southern University - Department of Biology
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
Research Assistant
August 2022 - July 2023
Research assistantship funded by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources data acquisition contract secured by myself and my advisor. Position involved research activity pertinent to my thesis project. Duties included deployment and maintenance of passive water parameter loggers, obtaining and quantifying aquatic macroinvertebrates samples, and preparation of presentation and grant materials.
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
Research Assistant
August 2022 - July 2023
Research assistantship funded by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources data acquisition contract secured by myself and my advisor. Position involved research activity pertinent to my thesis project. Duties included deployment and maintenance of passive water parameter loggers, obtaining and quantifying aquatic macroinvertebrates samples, and preparation of presentation and grant materials.
NSF REU Program - Institute for Coastal Plains Science
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
Graduate Mentor
May 2022 - August 2022
Actively mentored a cohort of ten REU fellows through research activities and preparation of conference materials. Directly mentored a pair of students as fellows of the Freshwater Ecology Lab research presence in the REU program. Provided logistical support for research activities as well as moderating and participating in multiple roundtables and discussions on professional expectations and career pathways in research.
Georgia Southern University - Department of Biology
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
Teaching Assistant
August 2021 - May 2022
Instructed a laboratory course Environmental Biology. Course topics included procedures for data collection and visualization, experimental design, scientific communication, and several aspects of environmental science and ecology. Student load totaled approximately 70 students per semester (three sections). Duties included in-class instruction, preparation of teaching and test materials, supervision of lab activities, and student-instructor communication.
United States Geological Survey - Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Lafayette, Louisiana
Student Service Contractor/Temp. Federal Employee
March 2019 - July 2021
Directly involved with a variety of amphibian and reptile projects. Most of the research was designed and executed under the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative. Worked extensively on capture-mark-recapture studies of frogs to better understand the relationship between the amphibian fungal pathogen Bd and environmental stressors such as bioavailable heavy metals, temperature, and drying events. Deployed and maintained a network of passive acoustic monitoring units around Louisiana and the Gulf coast to detect the presence of rare and invasive species including Strecker's Chorus Frogs, Southern Crawfish Frogs, and Cuban Treefrogs. Used acoustic analysis software (mainly Kaleidoscope) to analyze large amounts of frog call data. Assisted on a project examining disease prevalence in aquatic salamanders of the genus Necturus. Trapped aquatic turtles for multiple projects including a long term study of an urban turtle population and population dynamics studies on both Alligator Snapping Turtles and Razor-backed Musk Turtles. Dissected and analyzed the reproductive state and diet of hundreds of Cuban Treefrogs to better understand the invasion ecology of the species in Louisiana. Gained experience in the husbandry of amphibians and reptiles.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries - Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge
Grand Chenier, Louisiana
Intern
May 2018 - August 2018
Main project was quantifying the use of coastal land-loss terraces by ground nesting birds. Assisted on several other projects including a study looking at nesting habits of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis). Captured and banded Mottled Ducks as a part of a state-wide monitoring program. Assisted the alligator program with tagging farm-raised alligators for release. Gained experience in plant identification while assisting on a floristic survey of the refuge.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries - Wildlife Disease Program
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Student Worker
Summer 2017
Main project aimed at examining interaction between habitat type and seasonality on the diet of Feral Hogs (Sus scrofa). Managed multi-year data sets of wildlife disease testing results. Assisted in veterinary care of several types of animals. Performed necropsies on various birds, mammals, and reptiles. Designed and partially executed a project aimed at determining the prevalence of Leptospirosis in grey squirrels.
Teaching Experience
Georgia Southern University
2021 Academic Year
BIOL 1230L - Environmental Biology Lab
2021 Academic Year
BIOL 1230L - Environmental Biology Lab
Volunteer Experience
United States Geological Survey - Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Lafayette, Louisiana
Summer 2015-Winter 2019
Volunteered throughout my undergraduate studies on multiple projects including visual encounter surveys of amphibians and reptiles in the Atchafalaya Basin, and amphibian disease study, and a long term study on Snake Fungal Disease dynamics in a wetland snake community.
Lafayette, Louisiana
Summer 2015-Winter 2019
Volunteered throughout my undergraduate studies on multiple projects including visual encounter surveys of amphibians and reptiles in the Atchafalaya Basin, and amphibian disease study, and a long term study on Snake Fungal Disease dynamics in a wetland snake community.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries - Whooping Crane Reintroduction Program
Winter 2016
Volunteer internship performing camera trap analysis. The purpose of the project was to better understand the effects that humans (mainly fisherman) were having on the nesting habits and nest success of Whooping Cranes in south Louisiana
Winter 2016
Volunteer internship performing camera trap analysis. The purpose of the project was to better understand the effects that humans (mainly fisherman) were having on the nesting habits and nest success of Whooping Cranes in south Louisiana