Cell Culture

  • Initiated, maintained, and experimented with cultures of prokaryotic and eukaryotic phytoplankton and some of their grazers, with varying degrees of sterile procedure and with different media (F/2, Aquil, L1, GSe). Example species:
    • diatoms: Thallasiosira pseudonana (CCMP 1335), Thallasiosira weissflogii, Thallasiosira oceanica, Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries, Pseudo-nitzschia pungens, Chaetoceros
    • dinoflagellates: Karenia brevis, Prorocentrum minimum
    • pelagophytes: Aureococcus anophagefferens (CCMP 1984)
    • cryptophytes: Rhodomonas salina
    • haptophytes: Emiliania huxleyi (CCMP 375)
    • chlorophytes: Dunaliella tertiolecta (CCMP 1320), Nannochloris sp.
    • cyanophytes: Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus
    • protozoans: Oxyrrhis marina (CCMP 604), Uronema
  • Basic isolations
  • Maintained trace metal clean cultures
  • Synthesized phaeophytin from chlorophyll to examine uptake of phaeophytin-bound iron

Phytoplankton Enumeration & Community

  • ELISA. Worked up a method for quantifying Aureococcus anophagefferens based on Caron et al 2003. The method uses a monoclonal antibody and a colorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
    Learned the government-approved ELISA technique for screening domoic acid concentrations in tissue and seawater, based on Garthwaite et al 1998.
  • Flow cytometry. Worked up a method for quantifying Aureococcus anophagefferens based on Stauffer et al. 2008. The method uses a FIT-C conjugated monoclonal antibody and a BD FACSCalibur flow cytometer.
  • Radioisotope labeling and counting. Learned photopigment radiolabeling to determine in situ growth rates.
  • HPLC and CHEMTAX. Analyzed environmental samples using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the software CHEMTAX (CHEMical TAXonomy).
  • bbe Moldaenke Algae Online Analyser®. Compared the Algae Online Analyser® to HPLC and CHEMTAX using natural samples. This analysis was included as part of a broader publication on the use of the Algae Online Analyser®.
  • Fluid Imaging Technologies’ FlowCAM®. Developed a preliminary method for quickly identifying Pseudo-nitzschia spp. using a Fluid Imaging FlowCAM®. I worked directly with Fluid Imaging to improve the software used to analyze FlowCAM® particle data, VisualSpreadsheet©.
  • Coulter Counter®. Used two models of the Beckman Coulter Counter® for quantifying cells in culture and grazing experiments.
  • Microscopy. Quantified and identified plankton in culture and natural samples using inverted and epifluorescence microscopy (preserved and live).
    Taken photos and measurements of plankton cells using a variety of microscopy software.

Molecular Techniques

  • examined the relationship between genotypic and phenotypic variation, characterized microbial diversity in a marine community, and investigated the biology of microbial diseases in a graduate level laboratory course
  • conducted eukaryote RNA/DNA extractions, RNA extractions using a column kit, mRNA clean-up using a kit, DNA digestion, cDNA synthesis, gel electrophoresis, PCR, RT-PCR, qPCR

Water Quality Assessment

  • Physical Measurements: photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), temperature, turbidity, depth, current velocity
  • Chemical Measurements: alkalinity, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, pH, phosphate, salinity, silicate
  • Equipment: YSI and Hydrolab Water Quality meters, LaMotte Turbidity Meters, various light meters (2pi and 4pi), various spectrophotometers, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)

Software

  • Extensive experience with Microsoft Office Suite (XP, 2003, 2007)
  • Extensive experience with Endnote X1
  • Comfortable in Windows 95/2000/XP
  • ArcGIS 9.2. good knowledge of making maps, different projections and coordinate systems, creating GIS data, georeferencing, attribute queries, spatial queries, data classification and mapping, GPS data collection and mapping, distance and density mapping, and elevation data and mapping
  • MATLAB. good knowledge of basic programming, creating, editing and executing script files, creating multidimensional arrays/matrices with input and output data, executing a variety of plotting procedures
  • SPSS. excellent knowledge of measures of centrality and dispersion, frequency distributions, transformations, correlation analysis, regression analysis, multiple and stepwise regression, non-linear curve fitting, student's t-Test and group comparisons, single- and multi-factor analysis of variance (nested deigns, repeated measures, covariance, etc.), non-parametric procedures, factor analyses, sample size determination, and statistical power

Certifications

2010 Responsible Conduct of Research course (RCR) by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative
2004, 2008 Occupation Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Lab Safety Certification
2005, 2007 Hazardous Waste Certification (University of South Carolina)
2005 Radiation Safety Certification (University of South Carolina)
2003 PADI Open Water SCUBA Certification


For more information, download the pdf version of my CV or contact me.