Experience

IBSS

• United States
• Information Technology & Services
• 100 - 200 Employee

• FT-NIRS Biological Technician

  • Oct 2022 - Present

  I am a laboratory technician at the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Population Biology Branch, Apex Predators Program. My main responsibility is sample collection and data analysis to produce technical and research products that inform fisheries science and management of living marine resources. At this position I prepare and scan various fish aging structures using the Fourier transform near-infrared spectrometer (FT-NIRS) methodology. I inventory, process, scan, and analyze aging structures using FT-NIRS and QA/QC data for analysis. I support the NOAA Population and Ecosystems Monitoring and Analysis Division to understand the life histories of commercially valuable and managed species in the Northwest Atlantic as a part of the FT-NIRS Strategic Initiative Development Team. As a part of SIDT I work to develop predictive models to estimate the age of a fish based on its infrared spectra. Our goal is to implement FT-NIRs as an operational tool for generating age data in a fraction of the current method’s time and create a robust model that allows us to accurately predict age to better understand a population’s life history and propose more effective fisheries management. At NEFSC I participate in NOAA field surveys as to assist in the collection of oceanographic and biological samples and data. I participate in the NOAA Coastal Shark Bottom Longline Survey to survey sharks along the Atlantic coast between Florida and Delaware for stock assessment, tagging and biology. I also participate in NOAA's Cooperative Atlantic States Shark Pupping and Nursery (COASTSPAN) survey of inshore areas used by sharks for pupping and nurseries in the Delaware Bay. I support senior scientists/biologists with analysis and research of spectral data for scientific publications and attend training/meetings/workshops/symposiums as required. Show less



University of Delaware

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Nov 2019 - Jun 2022

  Undergraduate researcher at University of Delaware’s School of Marine Science and Policy. Attended 4 day research cruise aboard R/V Hugh R. Sharp to field test Modular Autonomous Biosampler. Developed novel method to precipitate proteins from shark blood plasma for Stable Isotope Analysis. Conducted field surveys to tag and collect biological samples from sharks in the Delaware Bay. Assist in animal husbandry and maintenance of shark tank systems and water quality. Undergraduate researcher at University of Delaware’s School of Marine Science and Policy. Attended 4 day research cruise aboard R/V Hugh R. Sharp to field test Modular Autonomous Biosampler. Developed novel method to precipitate proteins from shark blood plasma for Stable Isotope Analysis. Conducted field surveys to tag and collect biological samples from sharks in the Delaware Bay. Assist in animal husbandry and maintenance of shark tank systems and water quality.


University of Delaware Office of Undergraduate Admissions
• Blue Hen Ambassador

  • Feb 2019 - May 2020