Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Volunteer Experience
References
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Alexa Blosser

Noblesville,IN

Overview

3
3
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

MARINE MAMMAL INTERN

Clearwater Marine Aquarium
08.2024 - 01.2025
  • Prepare diets, maintain cleanliness of facility and animal habitats, provide enrichment and mental stimulation, keep behavioral records, host guest interaction programs, and give public presentations to educate our visitors about these amazing animals and environmental conservation
  • Learn how the trainers use principles such as positive reinforcement and operant conditioning to train these animals by attending weekly meetings with my intern coordinators
  • In these weekly meetings we study a series of lectures and discuss different training techniques
  • As the internship progresses, I will apply these training techniques poolside through observing training sessions and taking part in after session discussions
  • As well as assisting the training team in animal welfare through a hands off approach such as designing animal habitats and creating enrichment opportunities for the resident animals

4OCEAN WAVEMAKER

4ocean Organization
05.2024 - 11.2024
  • Post campaigns on how we can protect and preserve our ocean environments
  • Have the opportunity to be on the front lines of ocean cleanup operations as well as work to get others involved in protecting our oceans

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER

University of Alabama
10.2023 - 08.2024
  • The goal of this research is following up on observations indicating that non-human animals (fish: Mangrove rivulus) might adjust their outlook on life depending on their most recent experiences
  • Bad experiences and pessimism in future interactions with their environment; Good experiences and optimism in future interactions with their environment
  • Skills in this research include administering positive or negative experiences and running behavior trials + quantifying behavior from videos
  • As well as working with other undergrads and our project leader in brainstorming trial procedures and ideas that will start this process

MARINE MAMMAL VETERINARIAN MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Dauphin Island Sea Lab
05.2024 - 08.2024
  • Meet weekly with my marine mammal veterinarian mentor throughout the summer to:
  • Identify, articulate, and achieve long-term and short-term career goals
  • Be provided with professional development opportunities through training and mentoring
  • Partook in a bottlenose dolphin and manatee necropsy
  • Learned about dolphin and manatee anatomy, the duties of each person during a necropsy
  • Helped take various samples of each animal and learned how to properly store the samples
  • Partook in the photography of the organs
  • Followed along how notes are taken during the necropsy
  • Observed the proper techniques to open the animals and the proper directions to go
  • Was part of the clean up and disposing of the animal when we were done

SAVE THE MANATEES 5K FUNDRAISER

Save the Manatees Club
05.2024 - 05.2024
  • Donated money and participated in a 5k to help raise awareness on the importance of protecting our manatee populations

STUDENT

Dauphin Island Sea Lab
05.2023 - 07.2023
  • Use of seine nets, trawl nets, fishing gear, dissecting tools
  • Off-shore and in-shore boats and vessels while hook and line fishing
  • Photographing wild dolphins
  • Accomplished four extensive 5-week courses down at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Dauphin Island, Alabama completing 8 credits
  • Gained knowledge in marine conservation/management issues and threats, learned field research methods and lab techniques, photography of wild dolphins, taxonomy/classification, anatomy, physiology, and behavior of marine mammals
  • (Will be completing marine biology, marine geology, and intro into oceanography summer 2024)
  • Completed a two-week course in Sharks and Rays focusing on the biology of sharks and rays, as well as regional shark fauna and field techniques
  • Topics included chondrichthyan origin, systematics, sensory biology, locomotion, food consumption, osmoregulation, reproductive biology, life history, ecology, fisheries, and conservation
  • Lectures included discussions of primary literature and field techniques through longline and gillnet sampling
  • As well as shark identification
  • Learned in-depth comprehensive treatment of the systematics, zoogeography, and ecology of marine fishes, reptiles, and mammals
  • Specifically focusing on the vertebrate fauna of The Gulf of Mexico
  • Learned how to identify fish in the lab as well as in the field
  • Classes completed: marine biology, marine geology, intro to oceanography, marine vertebrate zoology, and shark and ray biology
  • Skills Gained From This: Video Editing
  • Photography
  • Classification
  • Laboratory Skills
  • Hook and Line Fishing
  • Seine Net Fishing
  • Trawl Net Fishing
  • Gill Net Fishing
  • Long-line Fishing

ANIMAL TECHNICIAN SHADOW

University of Alabama
03.2023 - 05.2023
  • Observe and follow along The University of Alabama’s animal care technician of rats and mice
  • Present for rodent surgeries and observing the procedure
  • Learn how to record the ages, breeding, and wean and overcrowd rates
  • Watch how the animal cages are cleaned, observing the handling of the animals, and learning how to properly care for the well-being of the animals
  • Dressed in PPE as well to protect myself and the animals

SHARK ALLIES AMBASSADOR

Shark Allies Non-Profit Organization
10.2021 - 05.2022
  • Under the supervision of Laurel Irvine and Kayla Dunham
  • Posted monthly on social media advocating for the protection and conservation of sharks
  • Through posting a combination of information, engaging content, and meaningful dialogue that was provided to me, I was able to make aware the concerns within our shark populations to my social media followers that wouldn't have known otherwise

Education

MARINE BIOLOGY -

Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Dauphin Island, Alabama

BACHELORS IN BIOLOGY & MARINE SCIENCE -

University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
08.2024

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA -

Saint Theodore Guerin Catholic High School
Noblesville, Indiana
05.2020

Skills

  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Observation
  • Writing
  • Word
  • Excel
  • Scientific Paper Analysis
  • Video Editing
  • Photography
  • Classification
  • Laboratory Skills
  • Hook and Line Fishing
  • Seine Net Fishing
  • Trawl Net Fishing
  • Gill Net Fishing
  • Long-line Fishing

Volunteer Experience

  • Marine Mammal Veterinarian Mentorship Program, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Summer 2024, Meet weekly with marine mammal veterinarian mentor to identify and achieve career goals., Participate in a bottlenose dolphin and manatee necropsy.
  • 4Ocean Wavemaker, 4ocean Organization, 05/01/24, Present, Post campaigns on ocean protection and preservation., Participate in ocean cleanup operations.
  • Save the Manatees 5K Fundraiser, Save the Manatees Club, 05/01/24, 05/31/24, Donated money and participated in a 5k to raise awareness on protecting manatee populations.
  • Shark Allies Ambassador, Shark Allies Non-Profit Organization, 10/01/21, 05/31/22, Advocate for the protection and conservation of sharks through social media.

References

  • Dr. Catarina Vendl, Veterinarian & Professor, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, cvendl@disl.org, Mentor
  • Dr. Jennifer Lewis, Professor, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, +1 (703) 975-2661, jlewis33@gmu.edu, BLY 452 professor
  • Dr. Ryan Earley, Associate Professor, University of Alabama, (205) 348-1827, rlearley@ua.edu, Undergrad Research Advisor
  • Captain David White, Charter Captain, Anna Maria Island Charters, AMI, Florida, +1 (942) 592-3235, annamariacharters941@gmail.com

Certification

  • Animal Biosafety Training, CITI, 2023
  • Aseptic Surgery Training, CITI, 2023
  • Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training, CITI, 2023
  • Working with Fish in Research Setting Training, CITI, 2023
  • Lab Animal Research Training, CITI, 2023
  • Working with the IACUC Training, CITI, 2023
  • Marine Vertebrate Zoology, BLY 451, Dauphin Island, Alabama, 2023
  • Marine Mammals, BLY 452, Dauphin Island, Alabama, 2023
  • Shark and Ray Biology, MS 497, Dauphin Island, Alabama
  • Marine Biology, MS 306, Dauphin Island, Alabama
  • Marine Geology, MS 304, Dauphin Island, Alabama
  • Intro into Oceanography, MS 448, Dauphin Island, Alabama
  • Marine Mammal Health, MS 497, Dauphin Island, Alabama

Timeline

MARINE MAMMAL INTERN

Clearwater Marine Aquarium
08.2024 - 01.2025

4OCEAN WAVEMAKER

4ocean Organization
05.2024 - 11.2024

MARINE MAMMAL VETERINARIAN MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Dauphin Island Sea Lab
05.2024 - 08.2024

SAVE THE MANATEES 5K FUNDRAISER

Save the Manatees Club
05.2024 - 05.2024

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER

University of Alabama
10.2023 - 08.2024

STUDENT

Dauphin Island Sea Lab
05.2023 - 07.2023

ANIMAL TECHNICIAN SHADOW

University of Alabama
03.2023 - 05.2023

SHARK ALLIES AMBASSADOR

Shark Allies Non-Profit Organization
10.2021 - 05.2022

BACHELORS IN BIOLOGY & MARINE SCIENCE -

University of Alabama

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA -

Saint Theodore Guerin Catholic High School
  • Animal Biosafety Training, CITI, 2023
  • Aseptic Surgery Training, CITI, 2023
  • Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training, CITI, 2023
  • Working with Fish in Research Setting Training, CITI, 2023
  • Lab Animal Research Training, CITI, 2023
  • Working with the IACUC Training, CITI, 2023
  • Marine Vertebrate Zoology, BLY 451, Dauphin Island, Alabama, 2023
  • Marine Mammals, BLY 452, Dauphin Island, Alabama, 2023
  • Shark and Ray Biology, MS 497, Dauphin Island, Alabama
  • Marine Biology, MS 306, Dauphin Island, Alabama
  • Marine Geology, MS 304, Dauphin Island, Alabama
  • Intro into Oceanography, MS 448, Dauphin Island, Alabama
  • Marine Mammal Health, MS 497, Dauphin Island, Alabama

MARINE BIOLOGY -

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

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