Madeline Pitsenbarger
Hayes,Virginia
Summary
Hardworking and reliable graduate student with strong academic history combined with resourceful attitude. Offering research and farming skills.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
Graduate Assistant
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Gloucester Point, VA
07.2023 - Current
- Assists with maintaining the VIMS Shellfish Research Farm
- Working knowledge of bottom cage, floating cage, long line, and FlipFarm equipment
- Assisted in installing FlipFarm lines
- Assists and maintains research projects deployed on the farm
- Supported preparation for conference logistics
- Developed annual report designs to present data-driven insights to key stakeholders
Farm Assistant & Sales Associate
N.Sea. Oyster Co.
Hampstead, NC
09.2022 - 07.2023
- Worked water column lease using SEAPA oyster bags on an Australian long line system (ALS)
- Assisted in tumbling, grading, bagging, deploying, and harvesting oysters
- Gained experience and knowledge with Floating Upwelling Systems (FLUPSY)
- Performed standard farm maintenance and cleaning
- Assisted with marketing and sales
- Served customers on-site and at events.
Research Technician
Frimpong Lab, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
05.2022 - 09.2022
- Assisted in habitat and water quality measurements of Tom’s Creek, Blacksburg, VA
- Measured abundance of Nocomis leptocephalus, Bluehead Chub, as well as their eggs, nest associates, and predators
- Assisted in electrofishing to evaluate community species’ relative abundance and size
- Deployed and monitored cameras for underwater observation of nests
Research Assistant
Aquatic Evolutionary Ecology Lab, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
01.2020 - 01.2022
- Dissected croaker, Micropogonias undulatus and mullet, Mugil cephalus, to obtain their gut and otoliths
- Determined age of fish using otoliths
- Quantified microplastics in the gut using KOH digestions method and analyzed contents under a microscope
- Analyzed spatial distribution and sex ratio differences in summer flounder using NEFSC data in ArcGIS
- Presented poster on spatial distribution and sex ratio differences in summer flounder at 2022 annual AFS Tidewater chapter meeting.
Research Technician
Weed Science Research Facility, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
01.2021 - 06.2021
- Performed daily care of the horticulture facility involving weed and crop species
- Recorded and entered vegetation data
- Cleaned and prepared lab equipment for solutions, specimens and samples
Research Assistant
Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
09.2019 - 02.2020
- Assisted in animal husbandry tasks concerning Holstein cows
- Recorded animal temperatures, food intake weight, and room temperatures
- Drew and spun blood samples to analyze heat stress effects on lactating dairy cows
- Co-authorship, 'Evaluating the impact of heat stress and altered glycemic state on plasma ɣ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) in lactating Holstein cows.'
Research & Farm Assistant
Virginia Tech Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Swine Unit
Holland, VA
09.2017 - 09.2019
- Learned valuable farm management practices and responsibilities
- Performed daily animal husbandry and farm upkeep tasks
- Implemented artificial insemination among sows
- Castrated boars less than 2 weeks of age
- Processed litters including ear notching, tail docking, teeth clipping, and administered iron shots.
Education
B.S. Fish And Wildlife Conservation - Marine Fisheries
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA12-2022
Associate degree, General Arts and Sciences -
Camp Community College
05.2019
M.A. Marine Science -
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Gloucester PointSkills
- Shellfish Harvester License
- Marine Safety Cold Weather Training
- First Aid and CPR Certification
- Boater’s License
- Experience with R and R Studio
- Versed in Microsoft Office 360 and Google Workspace
- Experience with ArcGIS
- ERDAS Imagine 2020 Course Spring 2022
Talks Presentations
- Poster presentation at 2022 AFS Tidewater chapter meeting on spatial distribution and sex ratio differences in summer flounder
Coursework
- Ecology
- Principles of fish and wildlife conservation
- Oceanography
- Genetics of natural and managed populations
- Animal breeding and genetics
- Population dynamics and estimation
- Fish ecology
- Marine ecology
- Marine botany
- Coasts & society
- Fisheries techniques
- Fisheries management
- Fisheries Biology & Lab
- Environmental law
- Introduction to remote sensing
- Human dimensions of fish and wildlife conservation
- Environmental Nonprofits
- Ichthyology
- Evolutionary biology
- Biological statistics I & II
- Chemistry I & II
Volunteer Experience
- UNCW, Dr. Jarvis’ Coastal Plant Ecology Lab, 08/2022, 10/2022, Assisted with seagrass identification, biomass collection, and measuring photosynthetic efficiency rates.
- USFWS Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program, North Fork Roanoke River, 10/2020, Assisted with various practices including bank stabilization (streambank matting & staking) and live stake installation to help restore the bank and habitat along the North Fork Roanoke River.
- Virginia Tech, New River, 09/2021, Electrofishing and seine netting in freshwater streams of the New River to assess the effects of the invasive redline darter, Etheostoma rufilineatum, population on the native fantail darters, Etheostoma flabellare.
Timeline
Graduate Assistant
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
07.2023 - Current
Farm Assistant & Sales Associate
N.Sea. Oyster Co.
09.2022 - 07.2023
Research Technician
Frimpong Lab, Virginia Tech
05.2022 - 09.2022
Research Technician
Weed Science Research Facility, Virginia Tech
01.2021 - 06.2021
Research Assistant
Aquatic Evolutionary Ecology Lab, Virginia Tech
01.2020 - 01.2022
Research Assistant
Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech
09.2019 - 02.2020
Research & Farm Assistant
Virginia Tech Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Swine Unit
09.2017 - 09.2019
B.S. Fish And Wildlife Conservation - Marine Fisheries
Virginia Tech
Associate degree, General Arts and Sciences -
Camp Community College
M.A. Marine Science -
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
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