Resume: Work Experience

BIOLOGY EXPERIENCE

 

Botany Researcher, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA:  May 2012 to September 2013

Does the Enemy Release Hypothesis Explain the Success of Invasive Species in Pennsylvania? Varma-Rose Williams with Dr. Heather Sahli.

  • Studied a variety of native and invasive plant species existing within in the same habitat
  • Marked and studied from 10-20 individuals of each plant species
  • Collected invertebrates and photo of leaves from the field
  • Used ImageJ to measure the percentage damage of each leaf
  • Collected herbivores from all plant individuals with a tray, pole, and aspirator
  • Classified all invertebrate according to their Family names in Excel
  • Used Excel to record the data for leaf damages
  • Used SPSS to process my field data analysis
  • Determined which invasive plant species supported the Enemy Release Hypothesis

 

Biology Undergraduate Researcher, Colorado State University, Fort Collin, CO:  Summer 2007

PRALF Effects on Pollen Germination and Tube Growth in Members of the Solanaceae Plant Family. Varma-Rose Williams with Paul Covey, Dr. Subbaiah Chalivendra, and Dr. Patricia Bedinger.

  • Tomato pollen self-produces Pollen RALF (PRALF) protein. RALF, Rapid
    ALkalinization Factor, is a 5-kDa polypeptide hormone that was first found in tobacco
    leaves.
  • Used a vibrator to shake the pollen out of one of the flowers into pollen germination medium (PGM)
  • Pollen is incubated in the PGM that contained either PRALF or IAAPRALF (iodo-acetamide treated PRALF). Iodoacetamide treatment (IAAPRALF) inactivate the polypeptide by disrupting the disulfide bond in RALF.
  • Pollen was examined using a microscope and pictures of the pollen were taken
  • Determined how much PRALF or IAAPRALF the pollen from each plant species can tolerate before the growth of pollen tubes declined.

 

Biology Undergraduate Researcher, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ:  Summer 2005

Substrate Specificity of MerT. Varma-Rose Williams with Dr. Christopher Rensing.

  • MerT, which is found in bacterial cells called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, transported Hg2+ (mercuric ion) into cells.
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) process was used to amplify the MerT DNA in linear form.
  • Plasmid isolation process was used to separate the MerT from the pASK-IBA3::MerT.
  • Used the restriction step to test if the MerT was inserted into the plasmid ‘pASK-IBA3’. MerT was inserted into the pASK-IBA3 before transformation.
  • Transformed the pASK-IBA3::MerT DNA into the Escherichia coli GG48 bacterial cells.
  • Determined if MerT assists in the uptake of zinc, mercury, and cadmium into cells
  • Result: There was no significant difference in the growth rate of E. coli GG48 pASK-IBA3 and E. coli GG48 pASK-IBA3::MerT as the concentration of cadmium increases.
  • Result: E. coli GG48 pASK-IBA3::MerT grew slower than E. coli GG48 pASK-IBA3 in increasing concentration of mercy and zinc.
  • Outcome: MerT assists in the uptake of zinc and mercury but not cadmium.

 

ACCOUNTING AND OTHERS EXPERIENCE

 

Math Tutor, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA:  September 2011 to May 2013

  • Tutored undergraduate students in math subjects
  • Administrated and monitored exams to students

 

Research Assistant, Temple Small Business Development Center, Philadelphia, PA: 

October 2010 to February 25, 2011

  • Research start up costs for a business
  • Developed an information letter on the path/road map to start a new business.
  • Prepared financial pro-forma sheets for new start-ups
  • Closed out and inactivated files of businesses with which we had no contact for 6 months or more.

 

Office Assistant, Center for Education at Widener University, Chester, PA:  Fall 2006

  • Put forms/papers in folders or cabinet for students
  • Deliver mails around campus from office

 

VITA Volunteer, Chester Education Foundation, Chester, PA:  Spring 2005

  • Filed Taxes for the community members