Kelly Ong

Experience

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  Zenfish Poke Bar

  Mar 2021 - Jun 2022

  Shift Lead and Counter Team Member

  • Trained new employees in fast-paced counter-serving, dishwashing, and cleaning operations• Served and made variety of food in this fast-paced, make-your-own, bar-style environment• Exchanged with customers to maintain positive atmosphere• Implemented COVID-19 friendly practices continuing to serve poke and limiting the spread of COVID-19

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  UNC Biology Department

  Aug 2021 - Dec 2021

  Undergraduate Student Researcher

  • Pioneered research regarding the quantification of shark meat mislabeling in North Carolina marketplaces and its involvement in global conservation efforts via DNA extraction techniques.• Identified and employed new shark DNA primers to facilitate in proper species determination and barcoding• Mastered DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction, agarose gel electrophoresis, sanger sequencing, and BLAST bioinformatics techniques• Displayed research results through peer-reviewed scientific writing and a university wide undergraduate research symposium involving Biology and Chemistry professors as well as other undergraduate researchers Show less

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  The Y (YMCA)

  May 2022 - Jul 2022

  Site Coordinator and Counselor

  • Organized before and after-school activities to look after groups of 15-30 elementary students• Worked with school administration and parents alike to streamline before and after-school care• Trained new counselors and site coordinators

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  UNC Biology Department

  Jun 2023 - now

  Teaching Assistant for BIOL 221/L - Seafood Forensics • Assist undergraduate researchers in DNA barcoding techniques and development of the class research project (a continuation of my group's project last year)• Lecture on topics related to proper peer-reviewed, scientific writing and end-of-semester poster presentations• Maintain upkeep of the laboratory by sterilizing lab equipment, refilling solutions, and preparing agarose gels for electrophoresis• Lead review sessions prior to the class midterm• Grade lab notebooks, assignments, weekly quizzes, and the midterm Show less Volunteer research assistant for the Brandt-Bruno Lab at the USFQ-UNC Galapagos Science Center• Carried out fieldwork involving 6-8 hour fishing trips for shark, ray, parrotfish, and surgeon fish species’ fecal swab sample collection• DNA extracted fecal swab samples from 119 samples of parrotfish, surgeon fish, pencil sea urchin, and chocolate starfish species• Collected tank data for Vasula sea snail experiment regarding the interactions between temperature, metabolism, and predation Show less

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant

    Aug 2023 - now

  • Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

    Aug 2022 - now

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant

    Jun 2023 - Jul 2023
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  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

  Feb 2024 - now

  Undergraduate Laboratory Technician

  Undergraduate Laboratory Technician at the Human Pluripotent Cell Core Facility• Aid core facility researchers with organizing inventory, preparing reagents, and culturing and imaging cells• Perform stem cell culture, differentiation, and gene editing in congruence with current research efforts and projects• Help develop novel protocol to differentiate new stem cell types