Experience

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  Ymca at bruce's mill conservation area

  Apr 2007 - Aug 2011

  Program support staff

  For five consecutive summers, I developed and led educational youth programs about conservation, biology, ecology, and the natural heritage values of the area.

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  Western university

  Sept 2010 - Apr 2011

  Research assistant

  Fungal Ecology and Systematics lab at The University of Western OntarioResearch area: Assembled gene sequences from mushroom samples for phylogenetic research.

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  The university of western ontario

  Sept 2011 - Jul 2012

  Teaching assistant

  Scientific Methods in Biology 2290F/G: Developed students’ technical, analytical, and communication skills by acting as a mentor throughout lab and field experiments; involved directly in supervising experiments and leading demonstrations, as well as grading tests, oral presentations, and scientific posters.

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  The university of western ontario

  Jan 2014 - Jun 2014

  Biology research assistant

  Behavioural Genetics and Sociogenomics lab at The University of Western OntarioResearch area: Honey bee caste differentiation / reproductive ground plan hypothesis. Performed a variety of experiments and analyses that investigated the conserved behaviours and genetic toolkits between social (bees) and asocial (flies) taxa.

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  Lawson health research institute

  Nov 2014 - Mar 2015

  Research assistant

  Neurorehabilitation Lab at Parkwood HospitalResearch: Stroke rehabilitation and spinal cord injuriesPerformed systematic literature searches of all clinical trials for acute spinal cord injury management. Wrote review articles to inform clinicians on up-to-date treatment recommendations.

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  University of guelph

  Feb 2015 - Aug 2015

  Research associate

  Department of Environmental ScienceResearch: Performed systematic literature searches and summarized the scientific evidence base into a report on the status and trends of honey bee and wild pollinator health in Ontario. This report was commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture to advise them during the development of Ontario's Pollinator Health Action Plan. This plan included science-based policies and recommendations to protect the provinces' bees, butterflies, and beekeeping industry.Conducted wild bee monitoring in southern Ontario Show less

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  Cornell university

  Aug 2015 - May 2022

  Senior extension associate

  Department of EntomologyExtension & Research Appointment Extension: I work with beekeepers, growers, state government, pesticide applicators, veterinarians, gardeners, and the public to inform them on the latest research and best practices involving pollinators. I accomplish this extension in a few ways: - Serving as a subject matter expect for pollinator health, pollinator conservation, pesticides, and beekeeping for New York State- Developing, leading, and evaluating educational programs- Visiting farms to collect data, providing training, and offering on-site consultation- Creating, marketing, instructing, and evaluating online professional certificate courses- Delivering workshops and presentations to a variety of audiences, including conferences, advisory panels, and lay audiences- Leading the program’s public outreach efforts by developing and managing website, YouTube, Facebook, and newsletter contentResearch: My research focuses on honey bee health and how beekeepers’ behaviors influence colony health and productivity. I have been excited to explore how education can influence human behavior changes and how to measure program impacts. I enjoy being involved in many areas of the scientific research process: - Securing research funding through grant writing, lobbying, and forming partnerships with private companies- Designing and executing scientific field studies and interpreting results- Writing annual reports for state government and the agricultural industry documenting trends in honey bee health, beekeeper demographics, and how the beekeeping industry contributes to the agricultural economy- Preparing manuscripts for scientific publication Show less