Elke Windschitl Email & Phone Number

Santa Barbara, California, United States

• Developing an interactive web application with Shiny in R as a prototype to assist the Judgement, Decision, & Social Comparison Lab in securing grant funding for studying sequential and visual decision-making.• Creating data visualizations with ggplot2 and ggiraph in line with the principal investigator’s design vision.• Providing insights on important design principles for achieving effective and fair visualizations for decision-making.• Developing an R package on GitHub to automate plot generation of the lab's 'decision layout'.

Santa Barbara

Master of Environmental Data Science group capstone project:• Aligned spatiotemporal resolution of 13 data sets in R to create one synthesized dataset containing oceanographic factors and metrics of giant kelp distribution as a deliverable for clients Ocean Rainforest and UC Santa Barbara researchers.• Performed maximum entropy species distribution modeling in Wallace and R to estimate where on the Santa Barbara coastline has the highest habitat suitability for kelp cultivation and restoration.• Created visualizations to communicate the spatial distribution of kelp, temperature, depth, and nutrients in the Santa Barbara Channel as well as data gaps.• Managed project deadlines, deliverables, and communication with Zoom, Slack, and GitHub.• Facilitated meetings in a master’s capstone team of students with diverse backgrounds to embrace group differences in working styles and preferences.

Seattle, Washington, United States

• Gained valuable customer service skills while between a fellowship and graduate school.• Provided excellent customer service while cashiering, bagging, and monitoring self-checkout machines.• Trained 8 new team members on standard operating procedures in the customer service department.

Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States

• Integrated the use of a digital animal behavior monitoring tool, Zoo Monitor, at the VAQ by developing workflows and creating teaching materials to train new and existing staff to use Zoo Monitor.• Collaborated with animal care staff to develop research questions to better understand how target animals’ behavior changed based on time of day, location, and guest count.• Collected and analyzed American crow and harbor seal behavior data using Zoo Monitor software and R.• Presented research results to 50+ aquarium staff via a 45-minute Zoom PowerPoint presentation to inform science-based animal care procedure changes at the aquarium.

Ames, Iowa, United States

• Processed Northern bobwhite audio data with Raven Pro to contribute to the lab’s continued research of using Autonomous Recording Units (ARU) in bird surveys.• Followed detailed laboratory procedures to dry and weigh prairie grass biomass samples and assisted with line transect surveys in the field for a graduate student’s research on pheasants and cover crops.• Identified and sorted 100s of aquatic invertebrates from an ID key under a dissecting microscope for another graduate student’s research on wetland occupancy by duck broods.

Ames, Iowa, United States

• Developed 3 research questions and methods of investigation for assessing the use of ARUs (a new technology) to study Northern bobwhite quail and support the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative.• Processed, analyzed, and visualized extensive quail audio data using R, Raven Pro, Excel, and PowerPoint.• Presented a research poster at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research detailing how ARUs can be used by the DNR to monitor occupancy of quail in place of labor-intensive point count surveys.

Ames, Iowa, United States

• Led STEM activities for K-12 students across Iowa to support women and girls in STEM.

Saint Louis

• Collected bear and primate behavior data by conducting live observations apart an 8-person team to inform future animal care decisions at the zoo.• Collected viper behavior data by conducting independent video observations using Observer XT to contribute to a study investigating whether viper tongue flicks are in indicator of stress.• Collected mother-infant antelope behavior data by conducting independent video observations using Observer XT to contribute to a 30+ year study to help inform future care of mother-infant pairs.

Master'S Degree, Environmental Data Science

Activities and Societies: Deans Advisory Council Student Representative, Master's Curriculum Committee Student Representative

Bachelor'S Degree, Biology, General

Activities and Societies: Summa Cum Laude May 2020 Graduate, University Honors Program Graduate, National Student Exchange Program.

National Student Exchange Program

National Student Exchange Program

Activities and Societies: Nā Ala ‘Ike Hawai‘i Hawaiian Experience Pathway Program, Aquatic Club, American Cetacean Society Student.

Summer Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Student

During the summer of 2018 I studied at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. I took Cetacean Behavior which included 40 hours of data.