Deanna Ferguson Email & Phone Number

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

As a GIS analyst/ Geomatics Analyst my main responsibilities are to support contracts with the Department of National Defence (DND) Hydrographic Services Office (HSO) by creating navigational products for military use.• Obtaining high resolution bathymetric surveys to overlay onto updated electronic navigational charts using CARIS software.• QA/QC of navigational products.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Working within the Marine Spatial Ecology and Analysis Group, my role included annotating video from deep-sea ROV dives using BIIGLE on a part-time contract basis.

Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

The public education coordinator is a diverse role which includes education resource and program development, delivering educational programs for the public and Kindergarten to University students, event management and managing the general day-to-day activities. This role also includes a museum curator component which includes creating exhibits and designing displays for new research features. • Developed a field school which included new educational programs designed to foster students into citizen scientists and collect usable long-term monitoring data. The three programs are: sea star wasting disease monitoring, intertidal fish surveying, and intertidal assessment. Currently, two of the programs utilize ArcGIS collector for collecting data.• Educational program development included creating a framework, teaching resources, lesson plans, teacher workshops, pre and post interactions, and learning resources.• Created a partnership with the Royal BC Museum which resulted in a long-term exhibition loan agreement ensuring a rotation of travelling exhibits.• Managed and designed summer camps, citizen science, and education outreach while managing a small team of summer students.• Planned an Amazing Race Canada challenge for season 7 episode 5 (titled clamageddon) and was their on-site challenge judge.• Due to the success of Deep Bay Marine Field Station’s education program, a similar strategic plan has been implemented on Science and Technology’s International Centre for Sturgeon Studies.

Toronto, Canada Area

Assisted in the development and the direct delivery of an in-school curriculum-linked educational program for grades K-8 which focused on introducing the Laurentian Great Lakes, awareness of local species at risk in Southern Ontario, and environmental advocacy for the Great Lakes watershed.• Spearheaded the expansion of the Great Lakes Program into Waterloo Region and surrounding areas resulting in the highest outreach statistics in program history outside of Toronto. Outcomes included a 100% booking rate, 95% re-booking rate from the previous year, and 98% positive feedback from evaluation surveys completed by teachers. • In the two years that the Great Lakes Program had been operating in the Waterloo Region, we visited over 200 schools and spoke to over 45,000 students.• General duties included coordinating school visits, meeting grant mandated objectives, and statistical summaries.

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Main responsibilities included collecting and processing zooplankton samples and ballast water samples from across the Laurentian Great Lakes in support of researchers, graduate and post-graduate students. All responsibilities surrounded aquatic invasive species research conducted at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER).• Introduced new sampling protocols for processing plankton tow and ballast water samples using automated particle analysis equipment (FlowCAM) and acquired a FlowCAM apparatus temporarily through a grant which created opportunities for lab staff and graduate students.• Trained colleagues and students on how to use the FlowCAM and created all in-house standard operating procedures for the FlowCAM which were later used by the Fluid Imaging for future prototypes of the FlowCAM for zooplankton analysis. • Investigated early detection and monitoring methods for invertebrate aquatic invasive species (such as zebra and quagga mussels).

Burlington, Ontario

Supported invasive species research in collaboration with the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) and the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) at the University of Windsor.• Responsibilities included coordination of ballast water sampling across Canadian coastlines (Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific Coast)• Collected ballast water and harbor samples for taxonomic processing using traditional taxonomy and automated particle analysis equipment (FlowCAM and ZooScan).

London, Canada Area

Main responsibilities were in support of engineers with the validation of a ballast water treatment system required for transport vessels to eliminate the exchange of aquatic invasive species. All ballast water treatment systems were tested to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards.• Completed small-scale and large-scale testing of a UV ballast water management system following international protocol.• Collected ballast water samples and validated testing results by determining zooplankton survival rates.• Independently conducted experiments using UV on zooplankton using a collimated beam apparatus to determine species specific UV thresholds. This was to further understand testing failures and alterations needed to equipment prototypes.• Position included coordinating with international teams and traveling to the USA, and Europe for weeks to months long projects.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Responsible for the identification and mapping the distribution of deep sea soft-coral sea-pens (Pennatulacea) along the Scotian Shelf of Nova Scotia utilizing ArcGIS. • Participated in an off-shore scientific cruise using the remote operating vehicle ROPOS. Collected specimens, photographs and high-resolution video for identification of deep-sea coral communities. • Lead the ROPOS team in sea pen collections while in the position affectionately known as the “hot seat”.• Using ArcGIS, mapped the location of 15 different sea pen species across the Scotian shelf while geotagging video and photographs taken.• Drafted sampling protocols, grant proposals, project proposals and progress reports.

Advanced Diploma, Gis Applications

Bachelor Of Science (Bsc), Honours Marine Biology