Environmental Consultant

• Jun 2023 - Present

Biological Science Technician

• Oct 2021 - Jun 2023

Mojave desert tortoise ecological research (Barstow, CA; Boulder City, NV) Main Responsibilities: - Radio telemetry, behavioral observations - Handling: capture, release, morphometrics, ID tagging, visual health assessments, biological sample collection - Equipment inventory and management - Habitat monitoring: rain gauges, vegetation - Crew scheduling and management Mojave desert tortoise ecological research (Barstow, CA; Boulder City, NV) Main Responsibilities: - Radio telemetry, behavioral observations - Handling: capture, release, morphometrics, ID tagging, visual health assessments, biological sample collection - Equipment inventory and management - Habitat monitoring: rain gauges, vegetation - Crew scheduling and management

Conservation AmeriCorps Member

• Mar 2021 - Aug 2021

Main Responsibilities: - Tracking, performing habitat characterizations, and conducting detectability surveys for Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes - American alligator census surveys, mark-recapture surveys, and nest surveys - Alligator project management and population estimatation - Wildlife Response efforts - Database proofing and management - Bobcat scat surveys Main Responsibilities: - Tracking, performing habitat characterizations, and conducting detectability surveys for Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes - American alligator census surveys, mark-recapture surveys, and nest surveys - Alligator project management and population estimatation - Wildlife Response efforts - Database proofing and management - Bobcat scat surveys

Guest Scientist (Geoscientists-in-the-Parks)

• Jun 2020 - Feb 2021

This position is focused on performing active and passive surveys to determine presence of Mexican Spotted Owls in Bandelier NM. I also worked on a wide variety of other natural resource projects in Bandelier and Valles Caldera National Preserve including: - Beaver telemetry and reintroduction - Trail camera and acoustic recorder management - Mountain lion telemetry, presence assessment, and capture - Air quality data collection and sample management - Bird banding and mist-net extraction - New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse track plate surveys - Jemez Mountain Salamander surveys - Pika presence assessment - Winter bat acoustic monitoring survey - Fire ecology plot measurements (DBH, vegetation transects, litter depth, canopy density, etc.) - Tree planting - Invasive plant identification and treatment - Report and survey map production - Data organization and management Show less

Invasive Reptile Intern

• Nov 2019 - May 2020

- Manage data and perform quality control in several large multi-year databases - Collect samples from Burmese pythons, including drawing blood, performing lipid-swabs, and weighing with Pesolas (spring-scales) - Heparinize needles and centrifuge tubes for blood sample collection - Perform necropsies on invasive reptiles to assess size, sex, diet, parasites, etc. - Humanely euthanize invasive reptiles - Maintain enclosures for 13+ Burmese pythons - Manage trail cameras inside and outside Everglades National Park to assess presence of invasive Argentine black and white tegus - Track Burmese pythons with VHF telemetry (flex-H and Yagi antennas) in Big Cypress National Preserve through various terrain (i.e. Cypress swamps, cattail ponds, scrub, prairie, etc.) - Participate in Y-maze study to evaluate if estradiol (female hormone)-implanted males will attract males comparatively to females, and more so than non-estradiol males - Coordinate with cooperating agencies (National Park Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and US Fish and Wildlife Service) to collect invasive reptiles and respective data Show less

BioCorps Intern: Invasive Reptiles

• Feb 2019 - Oct 2019

TEGU TRAPPING: - Set out live traps and checked daily to catch and remove invasive Argentine black & white tegus from the area to prevent them from entering Everglades National Park - Managed trap check database - Modified and conducted maintenance of traps as needed - Tracked the distribution of tegus captured and determing potential temporal patterns using MS Excel - Created up-to-date map in ArcGIS showing distribution of tegus caught in our trap array ASSISTING WITH U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND UF SNAKE PROJECTS: - Handled and processed invasive burmese pythons brought into the lab, including drawing blood - Conducted necropsies of burmese pythons, tegus, iguanas, and cane toads - Transported pythons between kennels and Y-mazes for controlled pheromone experiment - Cleaned/sanitized communal lab space and Y-mazes - Tracked pythons with VHF radio-telemetry in Big Cypress National Preserve - As an authorized agent, road cruised in the park to find invasive wild burmese pythons, and record presence of other herpetofauna in the park; caught wild burmese pythons to remove them from the environment ASSISTING WITH OTHER UNRELATED PROJECTS: - Conducted surveys and collected aquatic fish and invertebrate samples using throw traps, bar seine, and dip nets - Assisted with sea turtle nest search surveys: spotted sea turtle crawls from a boat and determined the likelihood that a clutch was laid at that site using dig characteristics, inventoried hatched-out nests and 70-day old nests - Used backpack sprayer and tank sprayer to apply herbicide (Garlon 4, Rodeo) to invasive plants in Everglades mitigation bank sites, including Brazilian Pepper, Lantana, and invasive grasses - Assisted in alligator nest surveys, presence surveys, capture, and morphometric data collection - Performed quality control for invasive plant management database - Created ArcGIS map for planning future invasive plant projects Show less

Senior Field Technician

• Jul 2018 - Sep 2018

- Member of a 2-person field crew at Banner Marsh for the Illinois Osprey Hacking Program - Maintained communications with the Rice Lake superintendent for any issues pertaining to Banner Marsh, and Illinois River Biological Station for fish collection - Produced daily reports of osprey behavior and wellbeing as well as predator presence in the area to be sent to the principal investigator and project manager - Prepared fish and fed five hacked ospreys - Tracked osprey fledglings daily using handheld GPS and binoculars - Managed Reconyx trail camera, and organized pictures daily Show less

Animal Care Intern

• Mar 2018 - Apr 2018

- Prepare diets and feed animals - Clean enclosures - Assist in animal encounters for guests - Enrichment production for monkeys, coatimundis, and jaguars - Enclosure maintenance - Conduct behavioral observation studies, Quantify and analyze behavioral observation data [1] Jaguarundis - assess for possible reintroduction to same enclosure [2] Ocelots - assess possible introduction into same enclosure [3] Tapir - assess maternal care and reaction to nearby males - Species worked with: 18 Birds [Keel-billed toucans, Yellow-headed parrots, Mealy parrots, Red-lored parrots, White-fronted parrots, Scarlet macaws, Chachalacas, Curassows, Crested guans, Harpy eagles, Black hawk, Ornate hawk-eagle, Spectacled owl, Barn owls, Mottled owls, Pygmy owl, Jabiru storks, Brown pelican]; 12 Non-primate Mammals [Central American tapirs, White-tailed deer, Kinkajous, Coatimundis, Jaguarundis, Ocelots, Margay, Jaguars, Pumas, Bush dog, White-lipped Peccaries, Collared Peccaries]; 2 Primates [Spider monkeys, Black howler monkeys] Show less

Animal Caretaker

• Sep 2017 - Dec 2017

- Clean enclosures, prepare diets, and feed the animals. - Maintain daily records of animal welfare including medication received, enrichment, unusual behavior and/or injuries. - Species worked with: Birds [Hornbill, Swainsons Toucan, Persa Turacos, Lady Ross Turacos, Buff-Crested Bustard, Quail, Green-winged & Hybrid Macaws, Rainbow Lory, Rozella, Crowned Pigeons, African Grey Parrots], Mammals: [Common Marmoset, Mandrills, Capuchins, DeBrazzas, Ring-tailed Lemurs, Gibbons, Spider Monkey, Fennec Foxes, Prairie Dogs, Coatimundi, Prehensile-tailed Porcupine, Fallow Deer, Two-Toed Sloth] & Reptiles: [African Spurred Tortoise, Leopard Tortoise, Red-footed Tortoise]. Show less

Undergraduate Researcher

• Sep 2017 - Dec 2017

- Conducted an playback experiment to assess the impact of cross-modal noise (vibration) on the ability of female house crickets (Acheta domesticus) to choose a mate based on acoustic calls. - Software used: EthoVision XT (data collection and analysis), Adobe Audition (sound file creation and playback) - Conducted an playback experiment to assess the impact of cross-modal noise (vibration) on the ability of female house crickets (Acheta domesticus) to choose a mate based on acoustic calls. - Software used: EthoVision XT (data collection and analysis), Adobe Audition (sound file creation and playback)

Research Student at Shoals Marine Laboratory

• Jun 2017 - Aug 2017

Field Ornithology: - Nest monitoring, gull census, spot mapping, transect studies, and point count studies - Performed a retroanalysis of the influence of sex and size on migratory passage date using bird banding data from the previous 5 years on 5 species of sexually dimorphic, migratory warblers that pass through the Isles of Shoals in Maine - Used R to perform my statistical analyses - Wrote a report and presented my findings to other research interns on the island at the time. Underwater Research: - Used SCUBA diving for data collection (e.g. transect studies) - Designed experiment to determine pattern of habitat segregation of lobsters near the island, collected data, and ran statistical analyses using JMP - Used preliminary research to proposed future questions about why the pattern occurred and what the survival and/or reproductive consequences were & laid out experimental designs for conducting these studies. - Learned how to estimate appropriate sample sizes. Show less

Undergraduate Researcher

• Jan 2017 - Jul 2017

- Conducted and assisted graduate students in their experiments, including:1. Determining the temperature sensitivity threshold of American Horseshoe Crabs2. Developing an artificial food/bait to aid in recovery of an essential blood protein after biomedical bleeding of American Horseshoe Crabs; and to use when fishing for whelk and lobsters.3. Determining the effects of ocean acidification on chemoreception in American Lobsters- Software Used: EthoVision, LoggerPro, LabChart, ImageJ (ActogramJ)- Equipment Used: Impedance Converters, IR Sensor, Centrifuge, Spectrometer- Other Skills/Techniques: Bleeding horseshoe crabs Show less

Grader

• Sep 2015 - May 2017

Grade assignments performed on multiple programs including Microsoft Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access

Volunteer Lab Assistant - Animal Resource Office

• Sep 2015 - May 2016

Responsible for the care and maintenance of lab mice and rats

EcoLife Expeditions: Vets-in-the-Wild (Study Abroad)

• Jul 2016 - Jul 2016

- Administered routine veterinary care of domestic dogs and livestock including vitamin injections, vaccinations and drawing blood - Performed a post mortem on an impala as part of a team to determine environmental conditions and disease presence - Performed condition assessments on ungulates using Berry’s Method - Assisted in the capture and relocation of giraffes - Administered routine veterinary care of domestic dogs and livestock including vitamin injections, vaccinations and drawing blood - Performed a post mortem on an impala as part of a team to determine environmental conditions and disease presence - Performed condition assessments on ungulates using Berry’s Method - Assisted in the capture and relocation of giraffes

Summer Intern

• Jul 2013 - Jul 2013

- Cleaned pens, changed out food, water, and bedding, and groomed camels in the Children's Zoo and Camel Barn before the zoo opened each morning. - Created enrichment ‘toys’ for capuchin monkeys and river otters - Designed an exhibit for multiple animal species, including enrichment for the animals and informational features for the visitors. - Cleaned pens, changed out food, water, and bedding, and groomed camels in the Children's Zoo and Camel Barn before the zoo opened each morning. - Created enrichment ‘toys’ for capuchin monkeys and river otters - Designed an exhibit for multiple animal species, including enrichment for the animals and informational features for the visitors.