Andre Lai Email & Phone Number

Blacksburg, Va, Us

Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

Alaska, United States

Collected catch data and biological samples from US commercial fishing vessels and shoreside processing plants operating in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. This data is utilized by NOAA Fisheries for the real-time management and assessment of North Pacific fisheries resources.

San Diego, California, United States

Aburto Lab: Processed drone-generated orthomosaics and satellite imagery of mangrove forests in Jamaica. Used QGIS geoprocessing software to quantify above-ground biomass and track changes in mangrove coverage over time.

San Diego, California, United States

Smith Lab: Tracked changes in coral colony surface area through time at reefs in Maui, Hawaii following bleaching events in 2015 and 2019. Used custom labeling software TagLab to trace and track the development of individual colonies between years. Learned to identify various coral species and assess their health over time.

San Diego, California, United States

Semmens Lab: Conducted catch-and-release surveys of local marine protected areas (MPAs) with volunteer anglers for the statewide California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP). Aimed to evaluate MPA effectiveness through measures of fish abundance, catch per unit effort, and biomass per unit effort.

Us Virgin Islands

- Conducted independent research project studying the trophic structures of fish communities on multiple US Virgin Islands coral reefs and how they changed through time in relation to environmental conditions (temperature, chlorophyll-a concentration, pH). Completed manuscript and presented findings in poster format to the program’s scientific faculty and members of the general public.- Spent a month at sea aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer traveling between the US Virgin Islands. Performed shipboard deployments of oceanographic instruments (plankton net, Secchi disk, CTD, Niskin bottle rosette) and analyzed collected data and samples. Learned to navigate at sea and assisted with general tall ship operations (sail handling, lookout, helming).- Collected data to support the Nature Conservancy’s elkhorn coral conservation efforts in St. Croix by tagging and counting healthy colonies during a snorkel survey.

Clearwater, Florida, United States

Collected data for an annual study on the population dynamics of local shark and ray species.- Deployed longlines and tangle nets for capturing animals, tail-roped and secured larger sharks.- Handled captured animals (gill irrigation with running seawater, clipping of stingray barbs).- Collected and recorded data on animals (length/disk measurements, tissue/genetic sampling, and spaghetti-tagging with shark tag applicators and tagging guns).- Practiced proper release procedures after data processing.

- Performed Chinese-to-English translations of articles, posters, employee profiles, etc.- Proofread documents and provided grammar, spelling, and word choice adjustments to better fit the target audience.

Shanghai, China

First Term June – September 2020Second Term July – September 2021- Wrote and published weekly articles about developments in US-China relations and business for AmCham’s members. Additionally had a small segment where I wrote about recent scientific breakthroughs and developments in Chinese fisheries.- Transcribed and occasionally conducted interviews with foreign relations professors and industry leaders. Wrote corresponding articles for publication in AmCham’s Insight magazine and on their website.- Conducted interviews with new AmCham members and wrote profiles for publication over WeChat.- Conducted research for and helped compile and edit China Business Report 2021.

Bachelor'S Degree, Marine Biology And Biological Oceanography

High School Diploma

Activities and Societies: Tide Marine Biology Club, National English Honor Society, Atramento Literary Magazine

Marine Biology And Biological Oceanography

Completed a Cornell summer course on marine environmental science at Shoals Marine Lab. Participated in wide variety of fieldwork and lab.