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Rachel Raudenbush Nathan E. Smith PhD Candidate - Arizona State University – School of Life Sciences EDUCATION Arizona State University Tempe, AZ August 2013-present Animal Behavior PhD student GPA: 4.0 Juniata College Huntingdon, Pennsylvania May 2013 Bachelor of Science Major: Biology Minor: Anthropology GPA: 3.93 Summa cum laude with Honors in biology RESEARCH EXPERIENCES PhD Candidate- Arizona State University Fall 2013-Present Dissertation: Macronutrient Regulation by the Desert Leafcutter Ant Acromyrmex versicolor Research Assistant- Dr. Peter Dedon, MIT Summer 2012 Genomic Mapping of DNA Damage Research Assistant- Dr. Jill Keeney, Juniata College Spring 2011-Spring 2013 Identifying the role of an orphan gene in the mechanism of retrotransposition in yeast Research Assistant- Dr. Norris Muth, Juniata College Spring 2010-Fall 2010 Plant community restoration after mortality of an invasive species AWARDS Social Insect Research Group Student Grant ($1000) Fall 2018 School of Life Sciences Travel Award ($400) Summer 2018, Summer 2017, Fall 2016 School of Life Sciences RTI Graduate Fieldwork Award ($2000) Spring 2017 School of Life Sciences RTI Graduate Fieldwork Award ($1500) Spring 2016 School of Life Sciences Graduate Research Scholarship ($3500) Summer 2015 School of Life Sciences Graduate Research Scholarship ($4000) Summer 2014 The Brumbaugh Science Prize for academic achievement, Juniata College ($500) Spring 2013 The William A. Schlicter Award for academic achievement and character, Juniata College ($500) Spring 2013 Dr. Homer & Ethel Will Endowed Scholarship Fund in Biology, Juniata College ($150) Spring 2012 VonLiebig Student Research Fellowship, Juniata College ($2000) Summer 2010 Robert C. Byrd Scholarship ($1500) Summer 2009 MEMBERSHIPS Animal Behavior Society International Union for the Study of Social Insects Entomological Society of America βββ, National Biological Honor Society Juniata College Honors Society PUBLICATIONS Patrick T. Harris, Gabrielle H. Cannon, Nathan E. Smith and Norris Z. Muth. 2013. Assessment of plant community restoration following Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) control by Verticillium albo-atrum. Biological Invasions. 15: 1887-1893. Marisabel R. Rodriguez, Nathan E. Smith, Tim Phan, Jonathan Woodbury, and Yun Kang. 2018. Interactions between leaf-cutter ants and fungus garden: Effects of division of labor, age polyethism, and egg cannibalism. Mathematical Modelling of Natural Phenomena. Volume 13 article 30. SELECTED PRESENTATIONS/POSTERS Smith, N. (2018). Macronutrient Regulation by the Desert Leafcutter Ant Acromyrmex versicolor. Presented at the annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society. University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Smith, N. (2017). Macronutrient Regulation by the Desert Leafcutter Ant Acromyrmex versicolor. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society. University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough CN. Smith, N. (2016). Macronutrient Regulation by the Desert Leafcutter Ant Acromyrmex versicolor. Poster presented at the International Congress of Entomology. Orlando, Florida. Smith, N. (2015). Macronutrient regulation by the Desert Leafcutter ant Acromyrmex versicolor. Presented at a Frontiers in Insect Behavior, Social Organization, and Evolution International Symposium in at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. Smith, N. (2014). Investigating the Relationships between Learning and Foraging Behaviors. Poster presented at the Frontiers in Insect Behavior, Social Organization, and Evolution International Symposium in Wurzburg, Germany. Smith, N. (2012). A Novel Approach to Genome-Wide DNA Damage Mapping. Presented at the Alleghany Branch of the American Society of Microbiologists Annual Conference, State College, PA. Smith, N. (2011). The Characterization of RTT105 Orthologs in Yeast Species Closely Related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Presented at the Landmark Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD. Smith, N. (2010). Assessment of plant community restoration following Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) control by Verticillium albo-atrum. Presented at the Landmark Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD. TEACHING EXPERIENCES Teaching Assistant, Arizona State University Animal Physiology Laboratory (BIO 361) Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017 Evolution (BIO 345) Fall 2016 Animal Behavior (BIO 331) Spring 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2013 General Biology Lab 1 (BIO 281) Fall 2015 General Biology Lab 2 (BIO 282) Spring 2015 Special Teaching Experiences Mathematics of Social Biology Co-Mentoring Program (NSF Funded) Summer 2018, Summer 2016 Personal Tutor, Juniata College Fall 2010-Spring 2013 MENTORING Students Completing an Honor’s Thesis: Megan Farris (ASU Biology Major, years of mentorship 2014-2016) Honor’s thesis- Macronutrient regulation of Acromyrmex versicolor colonies Currently attending Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine Taylor Glovsky (ASU Biology Major, years of mentorship 2016-present) Honor’s thesis- The role of inter-individual variation in nutrient preference in colony level nutrient regulation Brooke Owen (ASU Biology Major, years of mentorship 2018-present) Honor’s thesis- The distinct nutritional needs of the different members of the leafcutter symbiosis Other Students: Erika Cevallos Dupuis (ASU Biology Major, years of mentorship 2015-2017), Megan Cadigan (ASU Biology Major, years of mentorship 2015-2016), Jennifer Graves (ASU Biology Major, years of mentorship 2015-2016), Adrianna Adkins (ASU Mathematics Major, year of mentorship 2018) PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND OUTREACH SOLS Graduate Student Executive Board President 2018-Present SOLS Graduate Student Executive Board Research and Training Initiatives Representative 2017-2018 SOLS Graduate Student Executive Board Events Coordinator 2016-2017 Graduate Partners in Science Education Fall 2013-Spring 2016 Night of the Open Door 2016, 2017, 2018 Ask-a-Biologist August 2013-present Phoenix March for Science Social Insect Booth Volunteer 2017, 2018 .
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