Samantha Burrell, Ph.D.

Experience

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  Florida Southern College

  Sept 2014 - May 2017

  Educating senators on Robert's Rules of Order, Collaborating with the Provost of Florida Southern College on academic initiatives, Running Senate Meetings and Creating Agendas, Communicating with Senators Setting up hardware, imaged computers, troubleshooting tech problems, downloading and using software Generating ideas from input by Honors Program students to bring to Student Government meetings, completing constituent hours to provide feedback to administration, and reviewing financial requests under the scrutiny of our financial bylaws

  • SGA Academic Vice President

    Aug 2016 - May 2017

  • Information Technology Student Worker

    Aug 2015 - May 2017

  • Honors Representative

    Sept 2014 - Nov 2016
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  Kappa Delta Sorority

  Nov 2014 - Nov 2016

  Managing executive council members, communicating between headquarters, chapter, and campus, and representing chapter's best interests in official campus meetings Maturing and growing the chapter as individuals and as a whole

  • President

    Nov 2015 - Nov 2016

  • Vice President Standards

    Nov 2014 - Nov 2015
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  University of Florida

  Aug 2017 - Dec 2021

  Graduate Research Assistant

  Working in the Plant Biotechnology and Biochemistry Lab, my research focuses on investigating the molecular mechanism responsible for Downy Mildew Resistance in UF Sweet Basil. My responsibilities and accomplishments as a graduate student include: - Developing and optimizing new experimental methods for non-model species (epifluorescent microscopy, analytical chemistry, tissue culture regeneration, etc.) - Assembling and analyzing data to reduce large datasets into small targetted lists and track trends (transcriptomics and metabolomics) - Mentoring and managing undergraduate students on collaborative research projects - Distilling my research and communicating effectively with technical and non-technical audiences (2020 UF 3 Minute Thesis Champion, invited speaker/lecturer, co-author of horticulture textbook to be published at UF's University Publishing House) Show less

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  Exploring Plants

  Dec 2019 - Dec 2020

  Outreach Program Co-Founder

  I co-founded Exploring Plants' "Growing Under the Rainbow" Outreach Program with two of my colleagues in 2019 with the help of an Outreach Grant awarded to us by the Thompson Earth Systems Institute at the University of Florida. This program was established to bring plant biotechnology in the form of inexpensive LED Growth Boxes to classrooms across the state of Florida, reaching over 1100 students across 2nd-12th grade. Students learned how different wavelengths of light have different effects on plant growth as they took part in a massive collaborative science project. In this role, my responsibilities and achievements include: - Distilling scientific concepts into learning content appropriate for all grade levels as powerpoints and videos available to classrooms online - Coordinating the implementation of technology into the classrooms of 18 different teachers - Presented all content and data collection methods to teachers virtually and to select classrooms in-person or virtuallyGrowing Under the Rainbow was interrupted due to the CoVid-19 Pandemic but is expected to return in early 2022. Show less

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  Collegiate Plant Initiative

  Dec 2020 - Nov 2021

  Executive Director

  The Collegiate Plant Initiative is all about exposing the green industry to college-aged students and helping students find jobs in the industry. As the Executive Director, my responsibilities and accomplishments are: - Creating and sharing engaging plant science content via social media to increase following and exposure - Directing Seed Drops and Plant Drops which have put over 1,000 free seeds and plants into college students' hands - Networking with industry leaders to secure donations and job/internship opportunities to share with students Show less

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  Koidra

  Dec 2021 - Apr 2022

  Agronomist

  As an Agronomist for Koidra, my responsibilities include:-Leading grant application editing and organization-Creating scientific content for marketing and communication-Empowering clients with data-driven growing solutions

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  Benchling

  Jul 2022 - now

  Scientific Solutions Consultant