Danielle Usinski

Experience

• 

  Dancentral Studios

  Sept 2016 - Jun 2021

  Dance Class Assistant

  • Assist the teacher in classroom management, warmups, escorting young children outside, and providing extra help to students struggling with the choreography.• Act as a role model to the younger dancers who can offer advice for passion, dedication, and training.

• 

  University at Buffalo

  Jun 2021 - Aug 2021

  CLIMB UP Undergraduate Research Fellow

  I was a research-based intern working in the Engineered Theranostics Laboratory in the Biomedical Engineering Department on cancer immunotherapy.• Attend weekly research communications workshops to strengthen my professional communication skills through academic presentations and posters.• Share my research project through oral presentations given at both a program and university wide symposium.

• 

  University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

  Aug 2021 - now

  • Teach 2 labs, each containing about 30 first-year engineering students. Maintain a level of professionalism in the classroom while also acting as a mentor for their transition into UB Engineering.• Grade associated lab assignments for all students in my sections, providing thoughtful feedback for student improvement.• Attend weekly TA meeting where we calibrate grading, organize extra hours, and learn how to better collaborate as a team of ~12.• Also, as a part time research position in the Engineering Education Department, work with Dr. Matilde Sanchez-Pena and Dr. Jennifer Zirnheld to research first-year teaching interventions about time management, career exploration, and metacognition. Then, working with 2 other TAs, read through lecture material and assignment specifications to scale them on a rubric aimed to increase equity and accessibility. Show less Working under Dr. Jessica Swenson, I focus on engineering identity within first and second year students. I code for interest, performance/competence, recognition, global affect, and meta-affective strategies by reading through transcripts of student interviews in order to build case studies analyzing the strength of their overall engineering identities. I also help with a pilot project regarding teaching assistant (TA) training where we try to create a program that helps TA's incorporate equity into office hours and recitations. Show less

  • Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

    May 2023 - now

  • Undergraduate Researcher | Engineering Education

    Nov 2022 - now

  • Student Leader/Grader

    May 2021 - May 2023

  • Undergraduate Researcher | Biomedical Engineering

    Aug 2021 - Oct 2022
• 

  Dancentral Studios

  Sept 2021 - now

  Dance Instructor

  • Teach students from ages 6 – 10 years old in either hip hop, ballet/lyrical, or technique dance styles.• Choreograph combinations throughout the year to help students gain fundamental dance skills. These skills culminate into one routine to be performed at the end of the year recital.• Manage the classroom, ensuring I promote a safe and welcoming learning environment for all students.• Act as a mentor and role model to the students to inspire them to find their love for dance.