Grace Carpenter Email and Phone Number

Gauchos for Recovery (GFR) is a division of Student Health Services at the UC Santa Barbara dedicated to substance use recovery and overdose prevention. As the inaugural Residential Manager, I was integral to the development of UCSB's campus recovery housing program, and oversaw the challenging pilot year. In my role as Recovery Peer, I facilitated mutual aid meetings, promoted campaigns and events, and conducted individualized outreach to students identified as struggling with substance use disorders. I also lead the development and implementation GFR's community presentation program parallel with overdose prevention, which was given at dozens of student and community organizations. I trained hundreds of students in the use of Narcan and fentanyl test strips, and distributed thousands of free overdose prevention kits to students and community members. My team and I organized and hosted dozens of events, with some of our most substantial being the first annual All-UC Collegiate Recovery Program Retreat, the Generation Recovery music festival for overdose prevention, and UCSB's first participation in National Collegiate Recovery Week.

The Richardson and Gardner Labs at UC Santa Barbara conduct a wide variety of studies in cell and molecular biology, including DSP repair mechanisms, cell cycling, genomic editing, and peroxisomes. As a member of the team, I conducted assays and ran experiments for many of these simultaneous studies. I produced guide RNAs for CRISPRi experiments, maintained mammalian cell cultures, and conducted immunoassays under SOPs. Among the many techniques I used are SDS-PAGE, Western blots, immunofluorescence microscopy, ELISA, cloning, cell transfection, flow cytometry, PCR, and bioinformatics assessments.

As part of the Marine Science Institute of UC Santa Barbara, the PISCO Caselle Lab monitors the health and stability of marine ecosystems in California. As Research Assistant, I collected data on 30 key invertebrate species in the Channel Islands kelp forests. I processed 2 years of backlogged samples in a decade-long study, and provided data to inform long-term strategies for the management and protection of valuable marine ecosystems.

In 2019, Blue Ocean Brewing was a new company in the process of developing their first products. As both a consultant and laboratory technician, I identified and remedied large-scale chemical, biological and procedural problems, and consulted issues outside the expertise of the brewmasters. I designed three SOPs that were both economical and effective, including a water treatment plan tailored to the local water supply, a process for fat removal from intermediates, and biological contamination control. I performed stepwise quality control tests to monitor specific gravity, pH, alcohol content and more, which allowed for more targeted troubleshooting when necessary.

I ran daily business operations, provided personal assistance and handled client services. Within 3 months, I became the most senior employee and began training new hires.

I began working at Ciel Medical in the lead-up to the major launch of their new intubation guide to be used in hospitals nationwide. My most significant projects were constructing demonstration models to be used in clinical settings to train healthcare providers, and analyzing clinical trial data using Excel. I gained technical skills in bioengineering and familiarity with industry lab practices, as well as firsthand experience with the elements of planning a corporate product launch.

I volunteered as an office administrative assistant for the free primary care clinic on a weekly basis to help deliver healthcare to the members of my community in need. In this role, I was trained in HIPAA, and communicated with patients primarily in Spanish.