Ashley Elias Email & Phone Number

Kansas City, Mo, Us

Raleigh, Nc, Us

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area

As adjunct faculty at Motlow College, I taught lectures and laboratories for Human Anatomy and Physiology I. This course is intended for students pursuing degrees and programs of study such as nursing, pre-occupational therapy, pre-physical therapy, and other pre-health professions. Duties included (but were not limited to): creating syllabi, organizing schedule, preparing labs, developing lectures, writing exams, grading, and maintaining student records.

At Purdue University, I served as a teaching assistant for Fundamentals of Biology II. This course is designed to provide an introduction to the principles of biology for students in agriculture and health sciences. I led labs each week as well as taught recitations. This involved both group activities and lecture-style teaching, with grading of coursework, including research papers. . I was also responsible for maintaining student records and grades. I had to stay up-to-date with the academic… Show more At Purdue University, I served as a teaching assistant for Fundamentals of Biology II. This course is designed to provide an introduction to the principles of biology for students in agriculture and health sciences. I led labs each week as well as taught recitations. This involved both group activities and lecture-style teaching, with grading of coursework, including research papers. . I was also responsible for maintaining student records and grades. I had to stay up-to-date with the academic subject matter and technology to continuously work towards mastering the material and improving the classroom environment. I also participated in course-related responsibilities, which included: attending staff meetings, contributing ideas to curriculum, and administering exams. Show less

Including undergraduates in my research was important to me and I took on my first one in 2010. I continued to mentor undergraduates, hoping to create long term working relationships with these students. My role was to help them develop as scientists, this included: developing an independent but related project to work on, teaching various genetic and behavioral techniques, and discussing primary literature relevant to the project with them. I also took an undergraduate with me to… Show more Including undergraduates in my research was important to me and I took on my first one in 2010. I continued to mentor undergraduates, hoping to create long term working relationships with these students. My role was to help them develop as scientists, this included: developing an independent but related project to work on, teaching various genetic and behavioral techniques, and discussing primary literature relevant to the project with them. I also took an undergraduate with me to Alaska this summer to assist with fieldwork and behavioral trials. While at the Little Port Walter NOAA station, I mentored a Hollings scholar, who completed an independent project related to my research. Show less

My research explored the genetic associations of behaviors associated with migration in salmonids, focusing on three objectives related to individual level variation: 1) evaluating the innate behavioral variation within and between individuals, families, and progeny of different life-history types across time; 2) testing for differences in gene expression within the brain associated with this behavioral variation; and 3) using genetic polymorphisms to test for associations with ecotype, as well… Show more My research explored the genetic associations of behaviors associated with migration in salmonids, focusing on three objectives related to individual level variation: 1) evaluating the innate behavioral variation within and between individuals, families, and progeny of different life-history types across time; 2) testing for differences in gene expression within the brain associated with this behavioral variation; and 3) using genetic polymorphisms to test for associations with ecotype, as well as population structure, in polymorphic populations. First, I evaluated the variation in a suite of ecologically relevant behaviors across time in juvenile progeny produced from crosses within and between migratory and resident rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Testing multiple behaviors repeatedly in the same individuals provides a better understanding of the innate behavioral variation in a population containing multiple life history types.By examining the transcriptome within the brains of the fish used in the behavioral trials,I was able to identify genes differentially expressed among individuals with naturally variable behaviors. On a genomic level, I tested the hypothesis that ecotypic differences within and across polymorphic populations of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in Nipigon Bay, Ontario, Canada, were heritable and linked to allelic variation in the genome. I was also able to evaluate population structure using the same genetic markers. Show less

Between 2009-2011, I participated in Super Saturday, an enrichment program for gifted students from age 4 through eighth grade through the Gifted Education Resource Institute at Purdue University. The students come from all over the county to attend classes on campus for three hours on Saturdays. As a course assistant for Endangered (grades 1-2), I helped with all aspects of the running the class: from setting up to teaching to leading activities. As a teacher for Weird Science (grades 1-2) and… Show more Between 2009-2011, I participated in Super Saturday, an enrichment program for gifted students from age 4 through eighth grade through the Gifted Education Resource Institute at Purdue University. The students come from all over the county to attend classes on campus for three hours on Saturdays. As a course assistant for Endangered (grades 1-2), I helped with all aspects of the running the class: from setting up to teaching to leading activities. As a teacher for Weird Science (grades 1-2) and Trip hrough the Rainforest (PreK-K), I developed the curriculum and lesson plans. I was responsible for all aspects of the class, gaining both teaching experience as well as leadership experience since I had a course assistant. The duties as a teacher included (but were not limited to): creating syllabi, organizing the class schedule and content, maintaining student records, and developing a final assignments to evaluate the students' knowledge on the subject matter at then end of the class. Show less

At Purdue University, I have served as a teaching assistant for both Fundamentals of Biology I and II (supervisor: M. Browning). During these courses, I led labs each week as well as taught recitations. This involved both group activities and lecture.

Zoology Department

At the University of Florida, I gathered data associated with an experiment examining at the effect of short and long term experiences on investment into various behaviors associated with reproduction in the flagfish. While working on this project, I gained experience with behavioral analysis and quantification. Quantifying the behaviors involves videotaping the fish and then using an event recording program (JWatcher) to measure the frequency and duration of behaviors, such as fanning… Show more At the University of Florida, I gathered data associated with an experiment examining at the effect of short and long term experiences on investment into various behaviors associated with reproduction in the flagfish. While working on this project, I gained experience with behavioral analysis and quantification. Quantifying the behaviors involves videotaping the fish and then using an event recording program (JWatcher) to measure the frequency and duration of behaviors, such as fanning, cleaning of the nest, chasing females, etc. Show less

Finland

In Finland, I conducted an experiment examining the effect of predator presence on filial cannibalism in the sand goby. I was also in charge of another experiment, which assessed the effect of general intrasexual resource competition on sexual selection. I gained experience with fish collection, aquaria set-up and maintenance, experimental design, data collection, data entry, and data analysis (for example using SPSS software). This work included taking digital pictures for egg counting and… Show more In Finland, I conducted an experiment examining the effect of predator presence on filial cannibalism in the sand goby. I was also in charge of another experiment, which assessed the effect of general intrasexual resource competition on sexual selection. I gained experience with fish collection, aquaria set-up and maintenance, experimental design, data collection, data entry, and data analysis (for example using SPSS software). This work included taking digital pictures for egg counting and larvae for measurement, visual observations, and fish measurement, tagging and fin clipping for subsequent parentage assays. During the 3 months I worked on this project, I worked independently, and I gained experience conducting research at an isolated zoological station on the Baltic Sea. I also had the opportunity to interact with international scientists from various fields of research. Show less

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), Biology/Biological Sciences, General

Associated behavioral, genetic, and gene expression variation with alternative life history tactics in salmonid fishes

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Integrative Biology

minors in Anthropology and French