Focusing on microscopy, I aid in ongoing molecular research by learning how to operate several microscopy devices and training scientists on how to operate and image their ongoing research. This includes live cell and in vivo imaging, laser scanning confocal (LSM) and spinning disk confocal (SDC), multi-photon and deep-tissue imaging (2p/3p), fluorescent lifetime imaging (FLIM), fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS), light-sheet microscopy (SPIM), super-resolution (Airyscan), slide scanning, and patterned illumination for optogenetic manipulation and readout.

As a veterinary assistant, I obtain subjectives from pet owners including patient history and the reason for their visit to present to veterinarians. After an initial examination, I perform treatment plans which include providing vaccinations, subcutaneous fluids, taking x-rays, venipuncture collections, cystocentesis collections, running in-house blood panels, making-up medications to be sent home with pets, monitoring pets under anesthesia, and assisting in surgeries. Aside from executing treatment plans, communicating with pet owners is also an essential part of this job. I help educate pet owners on the importance of annual vaccines, annual labwork, flea, tick, and heartworm prevention.

As an animal care intern at California Trails within the Oakland Zoo, I worked with a variety of large animals including grey wolves, California condors, bald eagles, hawks, jaguars, mountain lions, black bears, grizzly bears, coastal brown bears, and a herd of 22 bison. I Independently designed a new body condition scoring guideline (1-5) for the onsite bison herd to better assess health conditions and animal welfare. I created this guideline using available literature on body condition scoring within the dairy industry. Additionally, I created daily enrichment activities based on researched natural behaviors that animals should exhibit in the wild, prepared and administered daily medications and diets, and tended to husbandry needs.

I created and designed an independent laboratory experiment examining the gastrointestinal tracts of lagoon and open ocean fish for the presence of microplastics in Mo'orea, French Polynesia. After obtaining gastrointestinal systems from local fishermen, I chemically processed each gastrointestinal tract and filtered out microplastics using a sintered glass funnel vacuum filtration system. Each filter was visualized using a Leica EZw stereomicroscope, and its content was categorized based on size, color, and type of microplastic (film, fragment, bead, or fiber). Overall this study found that open ocean fish, on average, contained more microplastics than lagoon fish but had lower concentrations of microplastics once standardized by gastrointestinal length. Within the lagoon, surface and pelagic-feeding fish had higher concentrations of microplastics compared to benthic and benthopelagic fish.

As a lab animal technician, I reported physical animal health and behavior to on-site veterinarians and the vet services team. I observed oocyte collection surgeries studying marmoset transgenic models, specifically targeting Alzheimer's genes, and worked with various lab animals including Cynomolgus macaques, rhesus macaques, marmosets, and naked mole rats. I also tended to the husbandry needs of lab animals including AM/PM feeding routines, creating enrichment activities, and ensuring cleanliness of animal facilities.

As a medical scribe, I aided in the treatment of injured wildlife. This included administering subcutaneous fluids, oral medications, and topical medications. I assisted medical staff with transcribing incoming patients' medical records into the WRMD database after the initial examination. I worked with a variety of animals including raptors, small birds, marsupials, rodents, large mammals such as coyotes, and rabies vectors including bats, skunks, and raccoons. I maintained feeding and cage cleaning routines for animals in the critical care unit and nursery, restocked medical supplies, added necessary items to order lists, and prepared oral medications to be administered for the next day.