Joseph Kutza

Experience

• 

  Renaissance Art Center

  Jun 2018 - Sept 2018

  Summer Program Assistant

  • Helped teachers in various classrooms by providing materials, guiding students across the building, and substituting when needed• Performed administrative and maintenance tasks such as organizing and taking inventory of materials, monitoring lunch periods, and repairing devices• Monitored activities across classes and ensured daily operations went smoothly and organized

• 

  Renaissance Art Center

  Jun 2019 - Sept 2019

  Robotics Teacher

  • Taught 20 children LEGO robotics in an engaging and hands-on classroom, helping to inspire the next generation of engineers and creators• Prepared daily classroom materials that emphasized STEM concepts and problem-solving, balancing educational and fun activities• Collaborated with other teachers to learn new and more effective instructional methods

• 

  Maryland Department of Natural Resources

  Apr 2021 - Oct 2021

  Contact Station Attendant - Seneca Creek State Park

  • Welcomed visitors at the entrance of the park by distributing maps and passes, operated a cash register to collect entrance fees, and answered questions about the park• Interacted with thousands of unique visitors (verified through ticket receipts) in a diverse area and communicated with park rangers via radio• Ensured that visitors had a positive experience with a friendly and welcoming demeanor, promoting ecological awareness and appreciation

• 

  University of Maryland

  May 2021 - now

  Dr. James Culver's Plant Virology Laboratory investigating virus-host interactions in plants and fungi.• Maintain plant material, isolate nucleic acids, perform standard cloning and gene expression analysis• Oversee general laboratory maintenance, basic record keeping and inventory, order supplies, etc. • Participate in the bioinformatic analysis of genomic, RNAseq and metabolomic based studies of plant mobile elements• Assist in the mentoring of undergraduate and high school students Show less Dr. Jeffery B. Klauda's Laboratory of Molecular and Thermodynamic Modeling• Project 1: Worked in a small team with a PhD student and an undergraduate student in modelling 4 TLR protein complexes and the binding of various fungal and bacterial polysaccharides using molecular dynamics techniques, the findings of which may have implications for understanding traumatic brain injury• Project 2: Worked with a PhD student in modelling 6 antimicrobial peptides on membrane surfaces of the stratum corneum, again using various molecular dynamics methods• Accessed the Zaratan and Rockfish supercomputer clusters to run simulations through a Unix terminal and software including VMD, MATLAB, R, Excel, and PyMOL to collect and analyze data Show less

  • Faculty Research Assistant

    May 2024 - now

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant

    May 2021 - Jul 2024
• 

  Maryland Department of Natural Resources

  May 2022 - Sept 2022

  Boat Center Attendant - Seneca Creek State Park

  • Assisted visitors at the lake of the park by hauling and launching boats at the dock, operated a cash register to collect boat fees, communicated with park rangers via radio, and answered questions about the park and its wildlife• Ensured that visitors had a positive experience with a friendly and welcoming demeanor, promoting ecological awareness and appreciation