Studying the unique impacts that the largest animals on African savanna have on the ecosystem.

Project Coordinator in the Biodiversity Research Laboratory at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. I coordinated a large-scale citizen science camera trapping wildlife survey and organized a country-wide project using camera traps to study impacts of mast production on mammal populations across the National Ecological Observatory Network. During my two years in this position, I produced three peer-reviewed articles, presented at two conferences, led field expeditions in 7 states, and collaborated with 83 organizations.

Assisting the Burmese Python Research Team through an on-going intensive radio telemetry tracking project of invasive snakes throughout Southwest Florida. Participating in hands-on population management techniques, including physical snake removal. Also one of the main authors on numerous publications, including a synthesis of prior research on invasive Burmese pythons, several natural history notes, and papers on improving management techniques . Providing insight into and improvements for the current protocol utilized by the project team. Responsible for additional duties, as assigned, such as data entry, sample processing, and equipment maintenance.

I worked with Dr. Nora Demers to jump-start a study exploring the foraging preferences of, and management techniques for, gopher tortoises at Barefoot Beach County Preserve. I assisted in the development of the research hypothesis, and personally accomplished the following: development of a protocol for behavior observation; collection of all data for the project in the summer of 2017; analyzing this data; and synthesizing a review of the pilot study for the Barefoot Beach County Preserve. In August, the protocol was modified so other students could continue the project on a broader scale. I instructed Dr. Demers' fall capstone research course on the use of the new protocol, assisted with the development of further research questions within the study area, and acted as a consultant for further use of the research materials and analyses of data. In October 2017, I was fully funded by the Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve to travel to the 39th Annual Meeting of the Gopher Tortoise Council in Aiken, South Carolina for a poster presentation of the preliminary data.

I worked with the North Carolina Zoo to analyze how elephant behavior was affected by environmental conditions and management decisions. We found that, increasing amount of browse provided to elephants may increase foraging opportunities in the afternoon. Furthermore, increasing group size and integration of bulls into elephant herds increased social interactions. We have submitted a manuscript to the journal Zoo Biology explaining our results.

I provided children with emotional, mental, and physical disabilities therapeutic sessions with a horse. Sessions are either one-on-one or small or large groups, and are centered around providing children the support they require through difficult times of childhood or stressful events, as well as enhancing their confidence to thrive through these issues. I also assist full-time staff members with brainstorming, planning, implementation, and overseeing of events such as camp sessions, seasonal group events, and fundraisers.

Provided guests with an enjoyable, safe, and engaging performance while operating double-decker buses to journey around the zoo. Tour informed guests of animals along the park, how they are endangered, and how the zoo has helped those species. Each performance aimed to ignited passion for wildlife in danger so that guests could also be heroes for animals around the world. Also conducted bus dock operations and provided a shuttle service around zoo grounds.

Volunteer in Dr. Lindsay Zanno’s paleontology lab at the Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh. For the first two months, I cleaned and prepared fossil specimens found in Utah quarries, but was then offered to undertake a research project under Dr. Zanno’s guidance. I compared petrographic thin sections from various fossilized dinosaur long bones with CT data of the same specimen with intent to discover if using CT analysis is a preferable, a useful, and an accurate alternative to destructive sampling when observing lines of arrested growth (LAGs).

All duties involved high quality customer services to all residents and guests via residence hall service desks. I provided university information to students, staff, or visitors; conducted administrative duties such as package processing and checking students in and out of buildings; and was responsible for conducting protocols during emergency situations.

I assisted Dr. Joan Eisemann of the Animal Science Department on her project that explored the effects of fescue toxicosis on bovine nutritional uptake, hormone levels, and biological processes. I prepared for and assisted with data collection at the one of NCSU’s cattle research facilities, and acquired hair samples, dermal biopsies, stress observations, and sweat rates of cattle in high-stress environments. I calculated, analyzed, and interpreted data, and obtained basic knowledge of correct/safe use of cattle chutes and laboratory procedures. I was also certified in radioactive materials safety during this position.

Assisted nursing staff with patient restraint and diagnosis. Also ran blood/urine analyses; obtained and analyzed radiographs; and administering inoculations. Gained knowledge of several pathological conditions and their treatments, as well as of emergency veterinary medicine.