L Sam Zhang, Phd Email & Phone Number

Greater Kalamazoo Area

KCA is a 503(c) non-profit organization that provides Chinese language, performance, and cultural education to youths from all backgrounds. (https://kzooca.org/)- Increased grant funding from $5k to $30k+ by creating impactful narratives for KCA.- Relocated KCA to a new state-of-the-art facility, and launched 5 new educational programs by recruiting experienced teachers with cultural expertise in special subjects.- Increased registration numbers to pre-COVID levels in 2022 (67 students registering for 81 classes), and added 22 new families in 2023 even as Chinese schools across the country struggle against heritage students' preference for language learning via apps.- Appointed a new Activities Director and hosted large community events (200+ attendees) to celebrate Chinese festivals and showcase cultural arts.- Implemented marketing initiatives beyond the Chinese community by connecting with school districts and community organizations, setting up performance and interview opportunities, running advertisement campaigns, posting events to relevant websites, and launching a new podcast called Eastern Lore at Public Media Network. (Highlights include Global Water Fest GR, and interviews at Fox 17 Morning News and WWMT News Channel 3.)- Co-Program Director & Showcase Event Manager of STARTALK, a project funded by the NSA to provide free Chinese language education to youths across the country. (https://kzooca.org/startalk)

A publishing imprint and design firm focused on underserved communities. - Author/illustrator of the picture book series The First Chinese Festivals. (https://lsamzhang.com/) * The First Lantern Festival -- #1 New Release in Children’s Multicultural Literature on Amazon in Jan 2023 * The First Dragon Boat Festival -- #1 New Release in Children’s Asian History in Jun 2023 * The First Moon Festival -- #1 New Release in Children's Holidays Around the World in Sep 2023 (This book is supported in part by the Kalamazoo Artistic Development Initiative, a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.) * Finalist for the 2024 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellowship. * Free storytime visits and public speaking engagements to bridge the gap in cultural understanding. - Publishing: BAM is a publishing imprint of multicultural and educational literature. * Free talks/workshops on self-publishing * Book donations and free storytime/author visits to underserved communities * Provide publishing and marketing services to promote emergent voices. - Digital Design: includes logo design, ad design, illustration, and more.- Web Design: business pages, online stores, galleries, blogs, and more built using the flexible WordPress CMS.Client highlights:TheGetAwaySkoolie.com Portage, MI, 2021-2022Logo design, web design, business strategy consultation, and advertisement design for a startup by a female BIPOC entrepreneur. IGNITE Worldwide San Francisco, CA, 2018-2019Social media campaign, outreach to government and tech industry sponsors, and auction item design in support of 2019 Spring Gala to raise $43k in support of STEM education programs for girls.

San Francisco

SKERI is a research institute renowned for its rehabilitation engineering and research on human vision. • Established institute-wide branding by creating a logo, designing ads and marketing collateral, and consulting on the new website for modern design and UX.• Built a network of referral partners including eyecare professionals and low vision rehabilitation specialists at California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco VA, Pacific Eye Associates, and the UC Berkeley School of Optometry. I also established collaborative relationships with the San Francisco Lighthouse, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Macular Degeneration Foundation, as well as various low vision forums and senior centers in the San Francisco area. • Worked with 17 scientists and engineers to recruit 679 participants that met the specific requirements for each study.• Designed and maintained a secure patient/participant database using REDCap.• Utilized various recruitment channels (social media, mail/email campaigns, print/web advertisements, guest talks/blogs) and analyzed recruitment and retention metrics. • Acted as point of contact for patients/participants, providing information, managing issues, and directing them to relevant services.• Organized and ran public events, established low-vision support groups, scheduled speaking engagements, conducted training sessions and informational presentations.

Edited scientific journal manuscripts written by ESL authors to improve their chances of being published in scientific journals. Responsible for manuscripts in biology fields: Neruoscience, Psychology, Physiology.

Readcube is an academic software and reference manager for researchers. ReadCube also work with publishers like Nature Publishing Group to make articles more interactive and accessible.• Created Campus Ambassador Program by developing a website and rewards program, recruiting power users from institutions worldwide, and directing ambassador activities and marketing events.• Launched Chinese marketing campaign by conducting market research, and leading a team of external interns in establishing official Chinese social media accounts and localizing ReadCube website contents.• Independently produced ReadCube Boot Camp video tutorial series using Camtasia 2 software.

Vancouver, Canada Area

• Marketing research, actualizing a list of premium clients• Strategic consulting, including business plan and sales strategy development.

Department Of Ophthalmology And Visual Sciences, University Of Michigan

The Wong Lab is distinguished in the study of non-image-forming visual responses to light. • Initiated a project to design light therapy technology.• Independently conducted a study to characterize melanopsin ganglion cells’ sensitivity to different light stimulations through electrophysiological recordings from multi-electrode array. (Light stimulus variations are durations, frequencies, intensities and wavelengths)

Department Of Molecular And Integrative Physiology, University Of Michigan

The Borjigin Lab pioneered an automated system that allows real-time monitoring of melatonin synthesis in rodent pineal gland.• Discovered new properties of circadian rhythms through longitudinal measurements of individual melatonin synthesis rhythms in response to various lighting schedules. Results include o Dissociation between circadian phase angles and free-running periodo Earlier melatonin onset during subjective night predicts faster reentrainment rateo Dynamics of photoperiod reentrainment: direction dependent adaptation of melatonin to long and short photoperiods.• Performed surgery and ran 4-month-long experiments of 8-20 rats at a time.• Conducted daily maintenance and repair of pineal microdialysis and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems designed for continuous operation 7 days a week. • Performed exhaustive analysis of melatonin, locomotor activity, heart rate, and body temperature rhythms using CLASS-VP, ClockLab (based in MATLAB), Microsoft Excel, and SPSS. • Initiated the regeneration of HPLC columns, increasing column lifetime by 2 fold, saving up to $5,440 per year. • Established an automated protocol for making HPLC mobile phase, decreasing daily process time by 50% and minimizing human error. • Increased daily baseline analysis throughput up to 4 fold by creating a laboratory computer network. • Recruited and mentored undergraduate research assistants, managing the progress of 7 projects.

• Lead 2 class sections totaling 60 students, meeting 4hr/wk2 hours per week per section, and held office hours 2 hours per hr/week to assist students with questions or homework. • Designed and presented weekly section lecture material, assigned class work, proctored exams, and graded course assignments, including three papers per student using APA guidelines.

Ann Arbor, Mi

China Image is a consulting team aimed at bridging US and Chinese perspectives.• Led a 21-person team of MBA students and entrepreneurs to analyze and advise on business opportunities involving media and advertisement. • Consulted in the establishment of a green energy vocational school in China by providing data on international vocational schools and statistics on local China population.• Ascertained the accessibility of Chinese auto manufacturers and parts suppliers by developing questionnaires to survey 706 automotive industry reporters in collaboration with Sivilian (a consulting and marketing firm).

Department Of Otolaryngology, University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mi

Raphael Lab introduced the genetic restoration of hair cells to recover hearing.• Initiated a project to examine the possibility for integrin cell surface receptors to integrate hair cells and stem cells into the inner ear epithelium. • Cultured MDCK, CL4 and CL4+PUS2-eGFP cells as a model for cellular integration. • Surgically extracted guinea pig cochlea. • Performed immunohistochemistry to identify presence of integrins in the sensory epithelium of deafened and undeafened guinea pigs.

Department Of Otolaryngology, University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mi

King Lab is the leading expert on head and eye movement in the vestibular field. • Examined mouse vestibulocollic reflex behavior in search for spontaneous regeneration of vestibular hair cells. • Determined position of the head in space by attaching perpendicular coils to the head that responds to electromagnetic environment by generating current. • Designed protocol for head-bolt implants to the mouse skull, including procurement of all procedural components. • Modified several versions of the mouse containment device to optimize freedom of head motion and eliminate the need for anesthetics before behavior trials. • Operated a servo-controlled platform engineered to rotate about the yaw, pitch, and roll axis both sinusoidally and in velocity steps. • Collected and analyzed data via SPIKE software.

Department Of Neurobiology And Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca Ny

Hoy lab discovered several novel insect communication strategies, and has developed interactive tools for research education.• Conducted a genetic screen for lifespan-extending genes that rescue synaptic function in Drosophila Shaker mutants. • Measured the degree of oxidative stress through behavioral response to ether. • Applied immunohistochemistry to study physiology at the neuromuscular junction.• Discovered a synthetic lethal interaction between ether-a-gogo Shaker and escargot genes that may serve as a future Drosophila model for muscular dystrophy and neurodegenerative diseases. • Characterized the triple mutant with its unique eye shape, eye color, leg development, as well as seizure like behavioral phenotype and decreased bouton count at the neuromuscular junction.

Florida Atlantic University,

Shen lab is distinguished in study of synaptic mechanisms in the visual system.• Performed retina extraction surgery.• Characterized the spatial distribution of potassium channels in retinal bipolar cells by immunocytochemistry. • Conducted electrophysiological experiments using whole cell recording and patch clamping techniques. • Identified PKC transduction pathway in glutamate regulation of potassium channels in retinal bipolar cells.

Phd, Neuroscience

Activities and Societies: • VP/Program Director for Association for Women in Science: Michigan Chapter 2011-2012 • Chair of Rackham.

Bachelor Of Science, Biology: Neurobiology And Behavior

Activities and Societies: Student Health Alliance at Cornell (SHAC), Cornell chapter of Red Cross, Cornell University Wind Ensemble 1st.