Michael Speight Email & Phone Number

I am a recent graduate from Iowa State University with a Bachelors in Biology (Ag/LS) with a focus on ecology and conservation. I am currently seeking opportunities for experience in the field of conservation, through internships and volunteering. I want to be able to contribute to making a difference in the field of conservaiton. As of September 2017 I began an unpaid internship at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo in the Madagascar exhibit. There I help the Zookeepers with their everyday tasks of cleaning up after the animals, putting out diets, and any other miscellaneous tasks they need help with. I am lucky enough to be able to interact with the amazing exotic animals from the island of Madagascar.I have experience working in teams from past work experiences such as working at a moving company where you need to communicate effectively to get the job done, and currently I am a Security Guard at Ameristar Casino where every member of the team works together to make sure that operations run smoothly and guests are happy. I've also played competitive team sports all my life, most recently Rugby for Iowa State where I held a captains position. I believe my teamwork skills, ability to work in strenuous conditions, and basic leadership skills are all valuable.In the Summer of 2017 I was accepted to the Gulf Coast Research Lab in Southern Mississippi in order to take two accelerated field courses in Marine Conservation and Marine Ecology. During these courses we traveled to multiple coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico and carried out basic experiments using different laboratory tools and equipment, and we collected data for the research lab to use for possible publications. These were intense classes where 16 weeks of material was crammed into 4 weeks for each course, it was an amazing experience and solidified my dream to be able to work in this field for the rest of my life.

Listed skills include Leadership, Teamwork, Communication, Easily Adaptable, and 1 others.