Helping to create a more carbon literate society by partnering with companies to create carbon labels and helping consumers, customers and employees understand the carbon footprint of their decisions and purchases.

Raising awareness of the potential of two historic climate laws, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to accelerate a just transition away from fossil fuels for communities and individuals. Researching how funding and grants in the IRA will allow institutions of higher education to proactively adapt to climate impacts, save money and support student health through building decarbonization.

Collect, analyze and report campus data and trends to the U.S. Department of Education, North Dakota Legislative Assembly, and internal committees. Work with state auditors to ensure North Dakota State Board of Higher Education policies and procedures are being upheld. Provide academic record support to students, faculty, staff, and the public as director of academic affairs. Assigned role of Principal Designated School Official by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to assist and advise students through international education processes. Monitor departmental budget and decrease institutional expenses by developing relationships with new vendors. Increase productivity by digitizing forms and procedures. Sit on curriculum, academic scholastic standing, document imaging, and hiring recruitment committees at the institution and state levels.

Maintain exhibits and holding areas, prepare food and learn nutritional needs of animals, recognize animal behaviors, handle animals with safe and proper techniques, implement enrichment for animals, and interact with the public to provide general information about the zoo’s animal collection.

Volunteered on a research project that took place in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy in Kenya. Collected data to estimate density and abundance of lions due to population decreases potentially caused by human-wildlife conflict. Deployed camera traps and sorted images of wildlife, livestock, people, and vehicles. Utilized distance sampling to survey herbivores on line transects and used GPS, rangefinder, binoculars, and compasses to acquire a baseline understanding of the population demographics and trends. Monitored abandoned livestock corrals, recorded scat and surveyed vegetation (pasture disc meter, point measurements and step-point ground cover) to investigate if herbivore populations, plant species and pasture biomass shift with cattle ranching. Returned home and continued to work on project by creating ArcGIS maps of data collected for principal investigator.

Led central North Dakota team of technicians by managing the site surveying schedule, vehicle and research tool maintenance, and data reporting back to principal investigators at university. Performed visual encounter surveys and line-transect distance sampling of grassland butterflies. Collected bees using swipe nets and kill jars in addition to passive bowl trapping. Conducted belt transect sampling and canopy cover estimation of vegetation. Pinned specimens for collection.

Tracked swift fox with aerial radio telemetry. Captured, collared and banded sage grouse. Tracked grouse using a combination of manual radio telemetry, binoculars and GPS. Utilized a field audio recorder to gather lek sound samples. Recorded mortalities and kill sites. Collected blood samples from grouse to detect West Nile Virus and centrifuged blood with clot activator serum. Located nests and deployed infrared cameras on them. Conducted brood counts and collected vegetation data. Utilized 4x4 trucks and ATVs.

Surveyed adult Monarch and Dakota skipper butterflies for density and occupancy estimates. Reared Monarch larva in conjunction with the University of Georgia in order to test for parasites. Conducted relative abundance surveys of milkweed species and nectar plants. Survey methods included Pollard walk and line transects. Utilized technology such as ArcGIS, Survey123 and GPS and used equipment such as 4x4 vehicles and UTVs.

Assisted with professional development and educational workshops for students, teachers and professionals. Utilized equipment such as a sond, a Van Dorn, a Secchi disk, a Chlorophyll vacuum pump, and a Masterflex pump head to conduct water sampling contracted by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Conducted tests to monitor how pesticide runoff was contributing to nitrogen and phosphorus-induced algae blooms. Mapped waterways using sonar and completed geomorphological studies to determine the size and distribution of riverbed sediments. Sorted, picked and used a key to identify aquatic macroinvertebrates for research assessing local water quality.

1.) Analyzed the ability of biofuel crops to phytoremediate piles of toxic coal residue produced by power plants. Recorded ICP emission spectrophotometry analysis to determine environmental toxicity of coal ashes and their leachates. Planted and harvested cereal crops grown on growth media containing coal fly ash to research selenium, zinc and iron biofortification potential.2.) Performed genetic crosses in fruit flies to ensure all females were heterozygous for the X-linked genes and that one of the X chromosomes would be loss during the first mitotic division. Formed a bilateral gyandromorph where the left side of the fly was male with a white eye and the right side was female with a red eye. Also, extracted chromosomes from flies and prepared slides.3.) Collaborated with landscape architects and the City of Valley City to construct and plan a pollinator garden, which consisted of native ND forbs, grasses and shrubs. Cultivated more than 30 native plant species from seed in greenhouse. Built raised beds with bricks, topsoil, weed barrier, and mulch. Collected, dried, pressed, mounted, identified, and labeled native forbs, shrubs and seeds for personal reference collection.4.) Sampled non-game fish for the USDA Forest Service and ND Game and Fish. Used seines and an electroshocker to collect fish to quantify the relationship between aquatic ecosystem health and oil drilling in the Bakken shale area of western North Dakota. Research team recorded data for over 50 sites. Preserved specimens with formalin and sent to state for testing and collection purposes.

Reviewed prospective student applications for college admission. Gave campus tours to prospective students, their families or groups. Recruited at schools and college fairs. Committee member on scholarship board. Presented financial aid options available to students. Developed curriculum and taught business related courses.

Managed sales, inventory, ordering, financials, reports, customer relations, staff/instructor and customer scheduling, answered phones/emails, and building management. Coordinated concerts, events, scholarship fundraising auctions, internal workshops, and seminars for a music based after school program.