SUMMARY AND CURRENT MISSION

I am a wildlife biologist with a special interest in herpetology. My long-term goal is to become a science educator and integrate my experience as a researcher to contribute to environmental awareness and science communication to the general public. I strive to live my passion as I believe it to be one of the best strategies to living a happy and fulfilling life.

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RESEARCH BACKGROUND
(View "Teach, Learn, Share" bullet for Teaching Background)

My childhoods goals of traveling the world as a biologist led me to move from Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania to Puerto Rico to pursue my bachelor's degree in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. There, I had the opportunity to travel to many state parks and national wildlife refuges.

US Wildlife Conservation (2008)
As an Field Ornithology Intern in Cape Cod, Massachusetts I censused and managed a Common Tern colony at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge in order to support the endangered Roseate Terns. The much rarer Roseate Terns require large common tern colonies to establish nesting sites.

Integrating Human-altered Landscapes as Wildlife Refuges (2009)
As an Ecology Intern at Miami University in Oxford, OH, I conducted a study on the movements of Blanchard's Cricket Frog in difference habitats found within a local golf course. The study was aimed to further understand how amphibians could utilize golf courses as "corridors" between fragmented natural habitats.

Biomechanics (2010-2012)
As Masters Student at the University of Akron in Akron, OH, I studied the biomechanics of gecko adhesion. More specifically, I quantified how geckos detached from vertical substrates as they climb and examined how it affects their kinematics.

New Zealand Wildlife Conservation (2012-2013)
As a nomadic biologist I volunteered as a research assistant to conduct studies on wild populations of Tuatara. The tuatara are a rare and highly unique group of reptiles only found in New Zealand. With a graduate student at Victoria University of Wellington, I collected blood samples of wild tuatara on Stephens Island to order to analyze blood hormones. I then worked with a herpetology lab at the University of Otago to conduct a summer long radio-telemetry survey to track the movements of juvenile tuatara translocated at a local wildlife sanctuary. I also assisted in field work for endemic fish in Central Otago and alpine dragonflies in the Southern Alps.

Bat Population Surveying (2013-2014)
As a field technician, I conducted wild bat surveys throughout the Midwestern and Northeastern US. Surveying included capture-and-release techniques to identify bat species in the area. Any threatened or endangered bats that were captured were tagged with radio transmitter to track their movements. Collected data is used to improve the conservation and management of these species.

Researching Multimodal Communication (2014 - present)
I am currently a graduate student in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri - Columbia to pursue my PhD. As a member of Dr. Manuel Leal's lab, I will be studying multimodal communication in a group of Caribbean semi-fossorial lizards known as dwarf geckos.

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PHILOSOPHY

Here are some quotes to give you an idea:

"Do what you like, like what you do."

"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends..."
-Clarence Odbody, 'It's a Wonderful Life.'

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
-Albert Einstein

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
-Mahatma Gandhi

"“If you can read this, thank a teacher."

"WWJD"
- Charles Sheldon

"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her." -David Brinkley

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." -Plato

“Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you." - David McCullough Jr.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I say enough to write a book as to why I'm on couchsurfing, but I'll break down the points and sum up as best as I can.

1) Affordable travel - After I had earned my Masters degree in May of 2012, I wanted to take the opportunity to travel but at the same time gain relevant experience in my field. I wanted to attend the World Congress of Herpetology 2012 held in Vancouver, British Columbia and present a poster of my master's thesis. Because I never traveled to Western North America, decided to arrive to the location by car. With only the combination of my personal savings and the help of couchsurfing, I was able to attend the conference and complete a continent-wide road trip.

2) Networking - At the conference, I was given a once-in-a-lifetime experience to work with wild tuatara on a protected island of New Zealand, which eventually lead to my involvement in various other wildlife research projects in New Zealand for a span of six months.

Throughout my six month experience, the couchsurfing community was there for me. I started my adventures down under in Auckland worked my way to Wellington where I met with researchers at Victoria University of Wellington to volunteer on the protected wildlife sanctuary of Stephens Island. From there, I sailed to South Island to the small town of Havelock. From there I traveled and couchsurfed my way down to Dunedin where I continued to assist in research alongside the University of Otago and Orokonui Ecosanctuary.

2) Learning from the hosts - When I first heard about couchsurfing and learned how extensive the community was, I was curious of the demographic that was involved, particularly the hosts. What were the skills and occupations did couchsurfing hosts have? What were their personalities like? What drove these individuals to go out of their way to provide free accommodations to complete strangers? Granted, the website does a fantastic job, breaking down these questions for people on individuals' profiles, but from that start I looked forward to meet these individuals in person. In summary, I learned that the one quality shared by all the kind spirits who hosted me was that they were genuinely very happier than the average person. Also as a biologist and science educator, I was given the opportunity to learn people's knowledge and perspectives about my field.

3) Hosting - After couchsurfing for a couple of months, I was couldn't wait for the opportunity to pay it forward. When I finally settled at one location in New Zealand, I began hosting couchsurfers in Dunedin. I learned how happiness can be a cause and an effect to hosting travelers from all around the world.

Interests

• animals
• wildlife
• fish
• reptiles
• amphibians
• books
• performing arts
• traveling
• fishing
• hiking
• hunting
• cricket
• track and field
• golf
• anatomy
• biology
• ecology
• teaching
• marine science
• ornithology
• science
• volunteering
• beaches
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Movies: Artifical Intelligence, The Matrix Trilogy, Chronicle, Super 8, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Blind Side, Norbit, White Chicks, Unleashed, The Land Before Time, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, It's a Wonderful Life, I Robot, The Island, The Rescuers Down Under, Crash, Eagle Eye, Liar Liar, Donnie Darko, Fun with Dick and Jane, District 9, Children of Men, Seven Pounds, Minority Report, Pursuit of Happyness, Avatar, What Dreams May Come

Favorite Music (Artists): Nine Inch Nails, Infected Mushroom, Little People, Juno Reactor, The Prodigy, Black Eyed Peas, Nit Grit, Daft Punk, Gorillaz, Don Omar, Crisis Inside, Marc Anthony, E Nomine, DJ Tiesto, Skrillex, Mumford and Sons, Nero, Klaypex, The Glitch Mob, David Guetta, Bob Marley

The best song, introduced to me by my buddy, Bryan Brown: "The Road" by Frank Turner. I think it's a awesome song that is appropriate for many couch surfers to hear.

Favorite Books: Dragonlance Series, The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos, About Time, Herpetology: The Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles, Angels and Demons, The Hobbit, The Ancestor's Tale, Parallel Words, Physics of the Impossible, Physics of the Future, The Old Man and the Sea, Silent Spring, The Hobbit, The Physics of Superheros.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

There are so many awesome experiences I've had, mostly amplified from sharing those moments with those amazing company. However, there is one experience that I had had that really sticks out. One of my favorite past times while growing up in a rural wooded area was stargazing and I always used the North Star as my starting point.

I had always felt a rush of excitement and curiosity when traveling to new and unfamiliar locations. However because all of my travels were within the Northern Hemisphere, I always able to relate to the night sky. No matter where I went, Polaris was always there hanging out with me.

Then I traveled to Moorea, in the French Polynesia, for a Field Zoology course. It was the first time I had traveled south of the equator. As always, I was excited to be somewhere completely different, but it wasn't until the first night there that it hit me. When I looked up at the stars, the most prominent feature I noticed was the Southern Cross. Polaris was no where in sight. I can write whole essay on all the thoughts that went through my head that night. But to summarize, it was the first time that I was somewhere completely different - not just at a different place, but under a different sky. That was pretty cool.

Another amazing moment: Stargazing under clear skies on the tidal flats at the Milford Sound in New Zealand with my bro, Mel. Seeing the Milky Way so clearly and catching sight of so many shooting stars and satellites at one of the most beautiful places on Earth! Just...awesome.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teaching Experience

April 2013; Guest Speaker; Dickinson College; Carlisle, PA. Presented at a Vertebrate Zoology class of Scott M. Boback PhD on the following topics: “Biology of Tuatara” and “Mechanisms of Gecko Adhesion.”

Jan2013 – Mar2013; New Zealand Wildlife Educator; Orokonui Ecosanctuary, Dunedin, Otago, NZ. Educated primary and secondary school groups and science outreach programs by teaching sessions and leading hikes on local New Zealand fauna and flora within the ecosanctuary and visitor center. Specialized as herpetology educator. Supervised by lead educator, Tahu Mackenzie.

Jun2011 – Oct2011; Research Mentor; Choose Ohio First Tiered Mentoring Program; Department of Biology, University of Akron; Akron, OH, USA. Mentored an undergraduate, providing him with hands-on research and husbandry experience. Program coordinated by Steven Weeks Ph.D.

May2011; Project Coordinator; Marine Field Biology; Department of Biology, University of Akron; Akron OH. Attended a field course that provided hands-on experience with field research and surveying techniques. At the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at Wachapreague, VA, collected biomass samples in a salt marsh. As a graduate student I had to coordinate a research project for undergraduates to perform; involved comparing aquatic species diversity at different localities at False Cape State Park at Virginia Beach, VA. Classes led by Steven Weeks Ph.D. and Francisco Moore Ph.D.

Jan2010 – May2012; Biology Teaching Assistant, Lab Coordinator, and Photographer; Department of Biology, University of Akron; Akron, OH. Instructed undergraduate laboratories for Principles of Biology (I & II), Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Vertebrate Zoology. Provided pre-lab lectures. Taught students how to approach questions through the scientific method, conduct experiments, and write lab reports. For Vertebrate Zoology, an upper level course, I led field trips to Bath Nature Preserve to teach students how to catch and identify vertebrate fauna of Northeast Ohio. Supervised by lab coordinators Ashley Ramer and Jeff Spencer, but self-coordinated Vertebrate Zoology.

Jan2010 – May2012; Biology Lab and Animal Husbandry Supervisor; Department of Biology, University of Akron; Akron, OH. Housed over 40 lizards of various taxa for biological research. Tasks included routine feeding, cleaning and maintaining terrariums, housing prey items (roaches and crickets) and providing minor health care. Supervised undergraduate research; aiding undergraduates with data collection, proofreading drafts, and assigning meetings to review scientific articles relevant to our lab’s focus. Trained undergraduate volunteers in reptile husbandry as well as coordinating husbandry schedule. Supervised along with Ph.D. candidate Alyssa Stark and Peter H. Niewiarowski Ph.D.

Aug2009 – Oct2009; Volunteer Wildlife Educator; Dingmans Ferry and Lords Valley, PA. Held teaching sessions on herpetology and invertebrates, discussing the basics of reptile and amphibian biology for second graders. Presented and handled live animals.

Countries I’ve Visited

Aruba, Barbados, Canada, Dominica, French Polynesia, Japan, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, Puerto Rico, United States

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