Laura Sirak-Schaeffer Email & Phone Number

-Manage all aspects of projects from scope & planning, project launch, monitoring & controlling, & project pause or close by working with stakeholders, workstreams, & cross-company teams-Identify & mitigate project risks, escalating to management as needed, to ensure project remain on time & within scope-Coordinate with departments across the company.

• Manage active project schedules, workflows, tasks, milestones, change requests, and resources
• Launch new projects by working with stakeholders to define project scope and requirements
• Host and participate in status and workflow meetings and handle issues that arise to ensure projects run smoothly
• Work with other departments, including Production Services and Operations, to track projects to the end products
• Participate in various Project Management, communication, and SmartSheet trainings through LinkedIn Learning, SmartSheet University, and internal PMO trainings

Wilmington, North Carolina, United States

• Managed MarineQuest’s Turtle Trash Collectors program (funded through the NOAA Marine Debris Program) by developing curriculum, create and maintain website and social media pages, write reports, administer and analyze.
• Coordinate and serve as lead educator for in-person and virtual programs with teachers and community partners reaching 29,566 participants worldwide!
• Created various resources and an Interactive Program Video to allow use of program beyond funding period
• Presented at the NC Marine Debris Symposium on Turtle Trash Collectors Goes Virtual: How UNCW MarineQuest Converted a Hands- on Classroom Simulation to an Engaging Digital Experience in Response to COVID-19

Wilmington, North Carolina Area

• Coordinate all aspects of MarineQuest’s National Fish and Wildlife grant-funded program, including curriculum development, scheduling and leading school and public programs for 17,897 participants, managing materials.
• Create first-person perspective videos about ghost fishing by coordinating with local experts and UNCW’s Communication Studies staff for interviews and subsequent film editing

Boston, MA

• Develop workshops that relate to different exhibits at the Museum that engage students in STEM topics through inquiry based and hands-on learning
• Teach science workshops to students in grades 1 – 7 at least 2 – 3 times per month
• Facilitate science learning at activity stations, including live animal education, challenge your senses, and engineering challenges

Boston, MA

• Develop live presentations on a variety of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) topics, including Lightning!, Live Animal Presentations, and Super Cold Science
• Deliver educational programming that exemplifies educational excellence and accessibility so as to engage and excite all audience members
• Present programs 3 – 4 days per week onsite or in the community to audiences ranging from 20 to 450
• Oversee, assist, and collaborate with volunteers of all ages as they support and educate 2nd graders on their Eye Opener field trips
• Contribute new ideas, creativity and perspectives to working with diverse audiences on site and in the community

Biddeford And Portland, ME

• Learning Works Elementary After School Program (September 2014 – present)
• Partnered with Portland and Biddeford, Maine school systems to work in this after school program aimed at helping students grade 2 – 5 who are just below grade level improve in school
• Visited four schools on a monthly rotation and provide students with hands-on activities focusing on science and scientists, often putting students in a scientist’s shoes during activities
• Scheduled and managed field trips to UNE where students learn about marine science
• Continued to improve my communication skills, especially in my ability to address audiences with a wide range of ages and backgroundsBiddeford High School (September 2013 – June 2014)
• Visited twice per week to teach in a variety of Biology courses, including academic, college prep, and honors

• Project PI: Kathryn Ono, PhD
• Worked to conduct background research, develop research questions, and write a formal research proposal – currently working on data analysis and compiling a manuscript
• Gained experience in working with fishermen, solving problems as they arise in the field, and working in adverse weather conditions
• Worked with pinnipeds and elasmobranchs in captivity to identify unique bite characteristics
• Conducted field work on commercial fishing vessels documenting catch, damaged catch, and seal bycatch
• Analyzed data with extensive use of R, Excel 2011, ERSI® ArcMapTM 10.0, and ImageJ

• Instructor: Michael Huitt
• Participated in extensive necropsy training sessions and assisted in four additional pinniped necropsies (~38 hours)
• Learned techniques in complete external examination (body and blubber measurements, wound examination, etc.), internal examination (examination of organs, parasites, disease, etc.), biological sampling and safety.
• Trained in specific techniques necessary for biological sample collection in the field

Reeds Beach, NJ

• Project PI: Daniel Hernandez, PhD
• Worked in the field independently conducting pilot Diamondback Terrapin mark/recapture research
• Processed each terrapin by checking for eggs, taking measurements, and inserting microchips
• Kept detailed daily field notes including observations, tides, and GPS coordinates
• Developed and maintained a database for marked individuals
• Conducted statistical analysis to obtain a preliminary population estimate of terrapins in the bay

Beaches Along The Delaware Bay, NJ

• Project PIs: Daniel Hernandez, Larry Niles, and Amanda Dey
• Gained leadership experience by overseeing, coordinating, and collaborating with undergraduate interns and community volunteers
• Able to solve problems as they arise in the field and work in adverse weather conditions
• Worked in the field to identify tide markings, set up quadrants, and collect sand samples
• Isolated horseshoe crab eggs and hand counted horseshoe crab eggs in sand samples
• Participated in bird catches with experience in handling, weighing, measuring, flagging, and banding shorebirds

Master'S Degree, Marine Sciences

Thesis entitled: Gray and harbor seal bycatch and depredation in New England sink-gillnet fisheries

Bachelor'S Of Science, Marine Science

Activities and Societies: Honors Program, Marine Science Club