Graduate research fellowship to work on NASA-funded carbon export research

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Biological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island working with Dr. Bethany Jenkins. I use molecular sequencing methods to understand how phytoplankton interact with their environment. I work on topics ranging from harmful algal blooms in coastal waters to carbon export of diatoms in the open ocean using DNA metabarcoding and metatranscriptomics, which requires the use of bioinformatic high-performance computing tools. I have isolated and maintained phytoplankton cultures of local species of interest. I also participated in field sampling on several oceanographic research cruises including 30 days on the R/V Sikuliaq in the North Pacific, 6 days on the R/V Atlantis with the Northeast U.S. Shelf Long-Term Ecological Research program, and day trips on URI's Cap'n Bert to sample Narragansett Bay. My skills include molecular labwork, phytoplankton culturing, analysis of large molecular datasets, and mentorship of peers and undergraduate students.

I am a writing consultant for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows at the URI Graduate Writing Center. In this position, I meet one-on-one with clients to aid in their academic writing endeavors, consulting on every step of the process from brainstorming to polishing a final draft. I host workshops on building academic writing skills, including recent workshops on applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Progam (GRFP) and writing for scientific publication. I also lead writing groups to prepare proposals and encourage accountability in writing.

As a secondary school teacher, I taught math and chemistry classes for seventh through tenth grades in French. I organized after-school activities for the students including review sessions, a girls club to promote retention of female students, and an academic competition to help tenth-grade students prepare for national exams. Additionally, I collaborated with my community to write a grant and obtain funding to build a computer lab at our school. I worked with several other volunteers to create a computer literacy curriculum for seventh through tenth grades, and I trained the teachers at my school to use this curriculum to teach computer classes to the students.

I taught a 100-level biology laboratory class to 24 college students for two semesters, explaining concepts and leading them through lab activities. In preparation to teach, I attended pedagogical seminars. I provided feedback on student lab reports and oversaw an undergraduate laboratory assistant.