Benjamin Chen, CLM

Experience

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  US Census Bureau

  May 2010 - Aug 2010

  Enumerator

  Served as a translator for Mandarin speakers Planned work by reviewing assignment area to determine organization of neighborhoods and locate households for conducting interviews. Conducted interviews with residents in assigned areas by following stringent guidelines and confidentiality laws. Explained the purpose of the census interview, answered residents' questions, elicited information following a script, and recorded census data on forms. Assessed quality control levels on selected addresses, determined which samples passed or failed, and maintained records for quality control verification. Complied with accuracy standards while maintaining high production rates. Maintained records of hours worked, units produced, miles driven, quality control results, and expenses incurred in the performance of duties. Met daily with supervisor to review and submit work, and receive additional instructions Show less

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  Mainstream Aquaculture

  Mar 2011 - May 2011

  Hatchery Technician (volunteer)

  Benjamin volunteered at a Barramundi broodstock hatchery, gaining experience in the daily operations such as: system maintenance, broodstock management, live feed culture and maintenance, and grading and packaging fingerlings for transport.

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  National Chung Hsing University

  Jun 2011 - Jul 2011

  Lab Technician

  Benjamin conducted a month long trial under the supervision of Lee Miin-Huey. His experiment focused on creating transgenic Monilinia fructicola, a fungus responsible for fruit rot, and to determine the virulence of each individual strain he created. Skills learned include, fine motor coordination under a microscope, conducting Polymerase Chain Reaction and analysis, managing an Excel database, producing graphs and tables using Excel, photography and general lab maintenance.

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  Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

  May 2012 - Dec 2012

  Mussel Intern

  Benjamin worked as a field crew intern for the Minnesota Statewide Survey with the Department of Natural Resources. During the summer of 2012, Ben traveled throughout the state of Minnesota and sampled mussel populations in various streams, rivers and lakes by means of wading, snorkeling and SCUBA diving. He collected biological as well as physical data, and maintained strict protocol in collecting, entering and checking field data. During the field season, Ben gathered, identified, measured and sexed unionid mussels, worked in several adverse environments and navigated to certain points within a randomized sample using a GPS. Ben also has lab experience conducting host suitability trials on mussels. Responsibilities include: seining, identifying local fishes, and then keeping them stocked in several aquaria. Ben has experience maintaining the laboratory and its equipment, and also hours of experience operating a dissection microscope. He has treated sick fish with fungal and bacterial infections and can diagnose a limited variety of ailments. Other responsibilities include: radio tagging mussels, propagating mussels in cages, operating state vehicle and logging vehicular data in accordance to strict state standards. Ben also has experience operating and launching small watercraft from a trailer. Show less

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  Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association

  Apr 2013 - Nov 2013

  Fisheries Technician

  Benjamin has worked at a Coho salmon (O. kisutch) rearing operation primarily at Deer Lake, located on the SE portion of Baranof Island, SE Alaska. During this time, Benjamin has become competent in all facets of Coho rearing, in addition to several other skills such as construction, maintenance and outdoor knowledge, all associated with remote living. To elaborate, Ben has worked with salmon from fry to smolt, and responsibilities span a wide range including feeding, sampling, recording daily environmental data, monitoring for diseases, mort removal and transportation to saltwater. Furthermore, Ben has worked with commercial fishing fleets involved with cost recovery operations and responsibilities include herding fish, moving caught fish from seine nets to holding pens, and picking fish from gill nets. Ben also has limited hatchery experience, familiarizing himself with the use of raceways, spawning, and daily operations by directly participating in these activitiesBen has been involved with other projects at Deer Lake. These include construction, trail building and maintenance, use of and maintenance power tools, hand tools, chain saws, come-a-longs, boats, outboard motors and 2 stroke engines, just to name a few. Show less

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  Lake Mission Viejo Association

  Nov 2013 - Aug 2014

  Aquascaper

  Benjamin maintained the quality of Lake Mission Viejo's biology. Under the Lake Biologist's direction, he performed the daily duties required to keep the lake and shorelines clean and safe for recreation at a premier trophy fishery in Southern California. Daily routines involve keeping beaches, shoreline and lake clean of all debris, performing water sampling procedures for fecal coliform bacteria, treating water and safely operating a boat. Other duties include mechanical and chemical removal of lake vegetation, responding to wildlife reports, and fisheries management. Ben has worked together on a variety of fisheries management projects. For example, he collaboratively built and installed catfish habitat, assisted with winter rainbow trout stocking, created suitable substrate for spawning sunfish, and collected snail and plankton samples. As for wildlife management, Ben removes carcasses, frees entangled wildlife, and responds to other calls. Ben often interacted with members and guests, educating them about the lake's biology, and occasionally dealt with regulation and compliance. Show less

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  AquaTechnex, LLC

  Sept 2014 - Jul 2016

  Manager/Aquatic Biologist

  Benjamin is the regional manager of a lake management service company in Southern Califonia. Responsibilities include meeting with clients to discuss lake needs, determining the scope and nature of work needed, identifying aquatic plants and algae, coordinating services, developing and implementing projects, writing grants and reports and supervising employees.Benjamin specializes in hydroacoustic fishery surveys, aquatic weed mapping and identification and fishery stocking for recreational uses. Show less

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  Aquatic Environments

  Aug 2016 - Oct 2018

  Technical Services Manager

  As the Technical Services Manager, Ben supports sales and operations groups by assisting in the acquisition of new customers and managing key accounts and projects requiring an extra degree of technical content. Ben is responsible for production and maintenance of materials that inform the buying public of our services including: website content, mailings, broadcast emails, Statement of Qualifications (SOQ), white papers, proposals, and assists in bid development. Ben also monitors and manages the water quality for clients and he also prepares lake and water feature assessment reports. Ben is assigned several account management responsibilities for customers that require a high level of professional communications and engineering content such as lagoon associations and Fortune 500 companies.Critical skills involve responsiveness and rapid deployment of technical solutions to sales, operations, and executive groups. These solutions include: Fisheries Management, GIS/GPS, CRM, Excel, and PowerPoint presentations. Ben also has a working knowledge of herbicides & algaecides, lake science, bathymetry, pumps, aerators, aquatic weed harvesters, survey methods, and basic dredging technology. Show less

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  SOLitude Lake Management

  Oct 2018 - Nov 2021

  As Aquatic Project Manager, Ben prepared and managed project schedules, monitor budgets for multiple projects and prepare scopes and service quotes as needed. He also handled the preparation of permit applications and regulatory documents to ensure compliance with statewide laws, regulations and/or project objectives. Ben also conducted scientific studies related to water quality, fish health and ecology, sediment and bathymetry. Data and samples were collected through the use of standardized techniques and tools in accordance with project objectives and protocols. He prepared, analyzed and interpreted the data to identify key issues and draw conclusions. He also prepared and wrote reports to submit findings and recommendations to clients. Show less

  • Aquatic Project Manager

    Sept 2020 - Nov 2021

  • Fisheries Biologist

    Oct 2018 - Sept 2020
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  BlueGreen Water Technologies Ltd.

  Nov 2021 - Oct 2022

  Project Manager

  As Project Manager, Ben acquired and implemented Harmful Algal Bloom remediation projects on behalf of BlueGreen in California. During his tenure, Ben had developed strategies using a novel floating algaecide to suppress cyanobacteria blooms and to keep the waters safe for contact recreation. Ben used a combination of monitoring tools, including In-Situ water quality probes, laboratory analysis, microscope and drones to determine treatment thresholds, coordinate treatment among several stakeholders and ensure that application of aquatic pesticides were compliant with state and federal regulations. Show less

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  Clean Lakes Inc.

  Nov 2022 - Feb 2024

  Technical Project Manager
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  LakeTech, inc.

  Feb 2024 - now

  Senior Biologist