Will Sweetser

Experience

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  Tabor Academy

  Sept 2009 - Aug 2011

  Deck Officer on SSV TABOR BOY

  I taught new sailors the basics of sail training, maintained the rigging of the vessel and the support boats. Additionally, I assisted the teacher chaperone with preparing different field experiments for marine science and coastal geology, such as salinity, plankton, chlorophyll-a sensors, and fish dissections. Supervision and coordination of seven new freshmen throughout the seven week-long trips.

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  Virginia Institute of Marine Science

  Sept 2012 - May 2015

  Student Researcher

  For three years I have been working with Dr. Eric Hilton of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science on an independent research project. The first aspect of the research dealt with studying the anatomical structure of the Crescent Gunnel (Pholis laeta), a small intertidal fish species of the family Pholidae. The morphological description of these specimens was conducted under a stereomicroscope using dissection and chemical staining as well as X-rays. Different skeletal structures were compared across other species from within the family to discuss potential evolutionary changes. These variations in anatomy are subtle so patience and attention to detail proved invaluable in my discovery of several novel structural patterns previously overlooked. The second aspect of this independent research project was accumulating the morphological descriptions and differences into Mesquite, an evolutionary computational program. This allowed me to quantitatively assign numerical values to different skeletal conditions in order to differentiate them for the program. Running the resulting matrix through PAUP, another evolutionary computational program, generated 24 cladograms or family trees that illustrate the monophyly of the family as well as the three genera within the family. Show less

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  The WILD Foundation

  May 2014 - Aug 2014

  Research Volunteer

  I performed an online literature review of all published sea turtle research for six sites that the WILD Foundation is considering for Marine Wilderness protection. Marine Wilderness sites are a novel way of protecting a region by including scientists, the community, media, and politicians to forge a comprehensive defense of the sites' ecosystems for long-term conservation. My work concentrated on synthesizing the known sea turtle research into short synopses that would be used to evaluate the effect of protecting the site with respect to the sea turtle community. Show less

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  NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

  Jun 2014 - Aug 2014

  Research Volunteer

  I was a part of a five member team to study the sea turtle population living in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina. This research consisted of assessing habitat utilization for foraging behaviors around a Marine Corps bombing range by setting nets in the water in order to attach acoustic trackers on the shell of the turtle for short-range monitoring. In-water population studies were conducted using in vivo and satellite trackers to determine behavior patterns of the turtles. Recapture of marked turtles provided data on growth parameters and duration in the inland waters while satellite tracking showed the movements of the turtles over the summer months during their migration periods. Additionally, I assisted the primary investigator in creating histological slides of humerus bone cross sections using a chemical staining process. These slides illustrate the growth marks as the turtle and the bone grew. Further chemical testing using stable isotopes reveals the type of food consumed by the turtle based on carbon-13 levels and the location of the prey items within the trophic level structure based on nitrogen-15 levels. Show less

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  ScribeAmerica

  Jun 2015 - Sept 2017

  Scribe

  The role of the scribe in an ED is to facilitate the documentation of each patient's visit by inputting information provided by the physician and patient into the electronic medical record (EMR). Scribes are unlicensed assistants who record dictations, record laboratory and radiology results, and track patients throughout their progress in the ED. Parts of the EMR that scribes record include the chief complaint, review of symptoms, physical exam, procedures, and differential diagnoses. Important characteristics of the job are efficiency, training in medical terminology, task management, communication skills, and a quick pace. Show less

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  Denver Health

  Feb 2018 - Aug 2019

  Emergency Medical Technician
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  The George Washington University

  Aug 2019 - Jun 2023

  Medical Student
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  The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

  Jun 2023 - now

  Emergency Medicine Resident Physician