Nicole Elise Fischer

1041 E Lowell Street

Tucson, AZ 85719

302-545-9554 ·

EDUCATION

PhDUniversity of Arizona,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Start date August 2012

Advisor: Anna Dornhaus

BSSaint Joseph’s University,BiologyMay 2012

Advisor: Christina King Smith

GraduatedSumma Cum Laude

Boston University, School for Field StudiesSummer 2010

Study abroad, Karatu, Tanzania

PUBLICATIONS

King-Smith, C, Vagnozzi, RJ,Fischer, NE, Gannon, P, Gunnam, S(2014) Orientation of actin filaments and microtubules in teleost retinal pigment epithelial cells, and effect of the lectin, Concanavalin A, on melanosome motility. Visual Neurosci31: 1-10.

Fischer, NE (2012) Intracellular motility: mechanisms of pigment granule aggregation in fish retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Departmental honors thesis, Saint Joseph’s University.

ABSTRACTS AND MEETING PRESENTATIONS

Fischer, NE, Gronenberg, W, Dornhaus, A (2015) Peripheral sensory organs vary among ant workers but variation does not predict division of labor. Poster presented at 2015 Arizona State University and Universität Würzburg International Symposium and Workshop on Frontiers in Insect Biology, Tempe, AZ

Fischer, NE, Gronenberg, W, Dornhaus, A (2014) Investigating neural mechanisms underlying division of labor in Temnothorax ants. Talk presented at 2014 meeting of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects, Queensland, Australia

Fischer, NE, Gronenberg, W, Dornhaus, A (2013) Neural mechanisms of behavioral variation in Temnothorax ants.University of Arizona and Arizona State University Cognitive Science Conclave, University of Arizona.

Fischer, NE, Charbonneau, D, Gronenberg, W, Dornhaus, A (2013) Does variation in peripheral sensory structures predict response threshold in Temnothorax ants? Talk presented at Fiftieth Annual Meeting of the Animal Behavior Society, Boulder, CO.

Fischer, NE, Charbonneau, D, Gronenberg, W, Dornhaus, A (2013) Neural mechanisms of division of labor in Temnothorax ants. University of Arizona Annual Mind, Brain, Behavior Symposium, Tucson, AZ.

Fischer, NE, King-Smith, C (2012) Protein kinase A regulates pigment granule aggregation along polarized actin bundles in fish retinal pigment epithelial cells. Twenty-third Annual Saint Joseph’s University Sigma Xi Student Research Symposium.

Fischer, NE, King-Smith, C (2011)Regulation of pigment granule aggregation by protein kinase A in fish retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Molecular Biology of the Cell22 (suppl): Abstract no. 588. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, Denver.

Fischer, NE, Nyamukapa, M, King-Smith, C (2011)Localization and role of protein kinase A in pigment granule aggregation in fish retinal pigment epithelial cells. Twenty-second Annual Saint Joseph's University Sigma Xi Student Research Symposium.

Fischer, NE and King-Smith, C (2010) Localization and role of protein kinase A in pigment granule aggregation in fish retinal pigment epithelial cells. Molecular Biology of the Cell21 (suppl): Abstract no. 967. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, Philadelphia, PA.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Fall 2016

XSEDE Allocations, awarded access to TACC HP/NVIDIA Interactive Visualization and Data Analytics to utilize Amira software for brain imaging

Spring 2016

Galileo Circle Scholarship

Spring 2015

Excellence in Community Outreach STEMM Diversity award, Women in Science and Engineering Program at University of Arizona

Spring 2014

ABS Student Research Grant

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Spring 2013

NSF GRFP, honorable mention

Spring 2012

Departmental Honors,in recognition of honors thesis work

Sigma Xi, scientific research honors society

Claver Prize,Saint Joseph’s University, for exemplary work in completion of honors thesis

Biology Award, Saint Joseph’s University, in recognition of outstanding academic record and service

Michael F. Maher Award,Saint Joseph’s University, in honor ofhighest grade point average

Fall 2011

Alpha Sigma Nu, honors society of Jesuit universities, in recognition of scholarship, loyalty and service

Summer 2011

HHMI Summer Scholar Fellowship, Saint Joseph’s University, awarded 10-week summer research fellowship by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Summer Scholars Program

TEACHING

2012-2016

GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

ECOL 450: Marine Discovery, 30 students, Fall 2013 and 2015

  • Assisted faculty in running an outreach-based course for undergraduates. Featured a workshop geared towards educating local elementary and middle school students about marine biology
  • Organized and oversaw four-week intensive training of undergraduate students on workshop stations on squid dissection, shark dissection, fish diversity, and plankton biomechanics
  • Independently organized and taught four lab sections
  • Frequently gave invited talks in lecture portion of class on marine invertebrate phyla

ECOL 183: Marine Biology, 50 students, Spring 2014 and 2016

  • Managed purchases of all lab materials
  • Developed curriculum for three laboratory sections
  • Designed and presented weekly lecture on course and laboratory material
  • Actively engaged students one-on-one during laboratory exercises to reinforce important concepts

ECOL 182L: Adaptive Evolution and Biodiversity, 50 students, Spring 2013

  • Organized and presented weekly lecture material
  • Assessed student progress by creating weekly quizzes
  • Demonstrated dissections of invertebrate and vertebrate specimensacross a

wide variety of taxa

  • Provided individual student support outside of classroom hours
  • Responsible for grading all student assessments

ECOL 302: Ecology, 28 students, Fall 2012

  • Taughttheoretical and empiricalconcepts and techniques for studying population-

and community-level ecology in field and lab settings

  • Trained students on theoretical modeling software
  • Graded student lab reports and exams

2011-2012

UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA

BIO 407: Developmental Biology, 18 students, Spring 2012

BIO 419: Invertebrate Zoology, 15 students, Fall 2011

  • Guided students during lab sections
  • Managed supply and specimen orders
  • Maintained laboratory animals
  • Assisted in preparation and proctoring of lab practicals

2010-2012

PEER TUTOR, Learning Resource Center, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA

Tutored students in organic chemistry and biology

  • Identified areas of difficulty for individual students
  • Provided one-on-one guidance
  • Interpreted difficult homework problems and lecture material

SERVICE AND OUTREACH

Spring 2016

Agua Caliente Elementary School: Guest Lecturer

  • Teach 6th grade students the scientific method
  • Perform behavioral experiments with ants
  • Encourage interest in local wildlife
  • Introduce students to graduate school and pursuing a career in science

Winter 2016

UA College of Science, Science Café: Invited speaker

  • Presented talk titled, “You are what you sense? Investigating neural mechanisms of division of labor in ants” to an audience of ~ 30 community members

2013-present

UA College of Science, Science Café: Borderlands Brewing Company

  • Monthly event held at the locally-owned Borderlands Brewing Company with the goal of sharing the diversity of STEM research going on at the university with the Tucson community (average audience 30-50 visitors of all ages)
  • Develop themes for each season (e.g. Spring 2016 theme: The lives of insects: from individuals to ecosystems)
  • Compose taglines and series descriptions, as well as record talks for live streaming, for use on social media platforms (e.g. on Facebook, UA College of Science Website, Periscope)
  • Recruit speakers (graduate students and faculty) whose research complements each season’s theme
  • Work one-on-one with speakers to prepare them for effectively communicating their science to a general audience and provide feedback on practice talks
  • Work one-on-one with local business to facilitate collaboration with UA College of Science
  • Introduce speakers at the event and facilitate a question and answer session following each talk

2014-2017

Tucson Festival of Books: Science City

  • Largest STEMactivity in the state of Arizona, attracting 60,000+ visitors
  • Organize and manage the ‘Science of the Natural World’neighborhood, featuring ~18 participating organizations in Arizonathat engage visitors with hand-on activities related to the natural world, particularly the desert. Includes live animal shows, scientific demonstrations andother interactivedisplays.
  • Recruit and work one-on-one with participating organizations over the course of the year leading up to the annual event
  • Collaborate with a team of ten outreach professionals in the UA College of Science, UA Risk Management and UA Facilities Management to determine spatial, electrical and other logistical needs for participating exhibitors

2013-2014

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) graduate student representative

  • Communicated student concerns to faculty during monthly meetings
  • Organized weekly luncheons for invited seminar speakers and EEB students
  • Composed and distributed student surveys for promotion and tenure committees
  • Representing EEB department in the Associate Graduate Council for the College of Science

Spring 2013

Tucson Festival of Books: Science City

  • Content specialist for USDA-ARS Carl Hayden Honey Bee Research Center
  • Operated exhibit featuring live honey bee nest
  • Educated 60, 000+ visitors about bee ecology and related conservation issues

Fall 2012-2016

Arizona Insect Festival

  • Organized “Social Insect”booth for 3,000+ visitors from Tucson and greater community
  • Designed and built interactive and live animal displays including ant farms for many different local species and an activity for visitors to search under rocks for ant colonies
  • Engaged young participants in social insect-related educational activities

Summer 2013, 2014

Keep Engaging Youth in Science (KEYS) High School Summer Internship program

  • Trained and mentored a high school senior participating in the KEYS internship program
  • Worked one-on-one with student to provide enriching hands-on lab experience
  • Developed a research project for student to carry out over six weeks
  • Guided preparation of poster to showcase project results for the final poster session

Spring 2013

Pima Community College: Guest Lecturer

  • Presented my graduate research to introductory ecology course
  • Led discussion on scientific method and experimental design

2010-2012

President of Saint Joseph’s chapter of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) organization

  • Promoted cohesiveness among students of the biology department
  • Organized Thanksgiving food and clothing drive for the Bethesda Project (local shelter)
  • Planned, managed and participated in freshman orientation activities
  • Arranged student panel discussions on study abroad opportunities for biology majors
  • Acted as a student representative for professor-student relations committee
  • Introduced guest lecturers for departmental seminars
  • Organized student field trips to the Philadelphia zoo and local museums
  • Coordinated and implemented field trips for local elementary students of the Wagner Free Institute science outreach program

LABORATORY AND FIELD EXPERIENCE

Summer 2012

LAB TECHNICIAN, Department of Neurovirology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Performed assays contributing to research on arboviral encephalitide transmission and pathogenesis

  • Performed cell culture
  • Conducted plaque assays for quantifying viral titer

2010-2012

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA

Project: Intracellular motility: mechanisms of pigment granule motility in fish retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells.

Molecular mechanisms regulating pigment granule motility were investigated, with focus on a possible role for protein kinase A in pigment granule aggregation and cytoskeletal dynamics of pigment granule motility

Summer, Fall 2010: Volunteer researcher

Spring 2011: BIOL 424: Independent Cell Biology Research (3 credits)

Summer 2011: Researcher, SJU Summer Scholar’s Program

  • Wrote internal proposals for grants in aid
  • Performed fish dissection and harvesting of RPE cells from tissue
  • Developed skill in time-lapse imaging, immunofluorescence, confocal and transmission electron microscopy
  • Performed cell based assays and kinase assays
  • Developed proficiency in cell microinjection

Fall 2011-Spring 2012: Departmental Honors Research

2008

VOLUNTEER RESEARCH ASSISTANT,Elasmobranch Research Laboratory at FAU, Boca Raton, FL

Assisted graduate students studying electroreception in bonnethead sharks and cownose rays

  • Prepared and participated in experiments
  • Maintained lab animals

2008

VOLUNTEER, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Boca Raton, FL

Assisted sea turtle research specialists tracking seasonal migration and nesting

  • Assisted in volunteer events
  • Guided tour groups for observing turtle nesting

2003

RESEARCH ASSISTANT, LAB TECHNICIAN, Nemours Biomedical Research, Wilmington, DE

Assisted the research team investigating the genetic basis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

  • Prepared samples for analysis
  • Performed PCR and gel electrophoresis
  • Analyzed test results using statistical software

RELEVANT COURSEWORK

Organismal Biology Recombinant DNA Technology

Cellular and Molecular Biology Electron Microscopy

Ecology, Evolution, Diversity Animal Behavior

Molecular Genetics Avian Biology

Eukaryotic Genome & Diseases Invertebrate Zoology

Independent Study: Cell Biology Research Developmental Biology

Comparative AnatomyInsect Ecology

Fundamentals of Ecology (ECOL 600B)Fundamentals of Evolution (ECOL 600A)

Behavioral Ecology Complex Systems