Curriculum Vitae Amanda Rea McGee Cleveland Museum of Natural History 1 Wade Oval Drive, University Circle Cleveland, Ohio, 41106 Email: [email protected] Phone: 216-231-4600 ext. 3275 PERSONAL INFORMATION Date of Birth: 2 December, 1983 Citizenship: Canadian ACADEMIC BACKGROUND Master of Museum Studies 2011 - 2013 Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario Select Coursework: Collection Management, Museum Environments, Curating Science, Exhibition Project, Exhibition, Interpretation, and Communication, Curatorial Practice, Ethics, Leadership and Management, Museums and New Media Practice, Museums and their Publics. Master of Science, Specialization in Vertebrate Palaeontology 2008 - 2011 Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Thesis title: A fossilized turtle egg clutch with embryos from the Upper Cretaceous Oldman Formation, southeastern Alberta: Description, taxonomic identity, and embryonic staging (Supervisor: Darla K. Zelenitsky) Bachelor of Science, Honours Specialization in Geology and Biology 2002 - 2007 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario Thesis title: Faunal composition, palaeoecology and taphonomy of the Microcyclus bed from the Middle Devonian Arkona Shale, Southwestern Ontario (Supervisor: Cameron J. Tsujita) WORK EXPERIENCE January 2015 – Present: Collections Manager, Vertebrate Paleontology. Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio. Oversee the daily operation of the Vertebrate Paleontology collection including: updating the current database system, inventorying specimens, supervising volunteers and students, facilitating incoming and outgoing loans, and ordering supplies. Organize summer fieldwork expeditions, excavate fossil material, and catalog specimens in the field. Consult with design companies contracted to redesign exhibits for the new museum in terms of scientific content and specimen selection. McGee, Page 2 April 2014 – November 2014: Collections Management and Preparation Lab Intern. Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta. Prepare fossil material from surrounding rock matrix and assist in the curators’ summer fieldwork programs. Coordinate the gallery preparation table exhibit by gathering required tools and materials, filling out request forms and preparations sheets for specimens, and training new staff on daily procedures and visitor services etiquette. Properly number and photograph prepared specimens. Update specimen information and convert data to a newer format in the catalog database. April 2013 – March 2014: Palaeobiology Collections Management Volunteer. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario. Updated labeling and storage of palaeoichthyology specimens. Performed inventory checks on acanthodian specimens and enter backlogged data into the database. Updated written and digital records of specimens. December 2012 – April 2013: Palaeobiology Technical Assistant. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario. Sorted and identified microfossil (invertebrate and vertebrate) material under a binocular microscope. January – April 2013: Teaching Assistant. University of Toronto, Department of Earth Sciences. Geology 217 - Earth Evolution. Instructed students during weekly laboratory assignments for an undergraduate invertebrate paleontology class. Assisted students with fossil identification and encouraged enthusiasm and excitement for the subject matter. Organized lab material and set up weekly demonstrations. May – August 2012: Palaeobiology Collections Management Intern. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario. Upgraded storage for type specimen material in the vertebrate paleontology collection by creating custom ethafoam drawer linings that contoured to the morphology of the bones. Provided conservation treatments to specimens in need of repair and consolidation. Re-labeled specimens with updated catalogue numbers. June – August 2011; May – August 2009: Preparation Technician and Field Assistant. Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta. Demonstrated the scientific methods of fossil preparation at a table in the galleries. Identified fossil and geologic specimens visitors brought to the museum. Prepared fossil vertebrate specimens from surrounding rock matrix and sorted microvertebrate material from screen washed sediment. Participated in fieldwork, which included prospecting for fossil sites, excavation, and jacketing specimens. September 2008 – December 2010: Teaching Assistant. University of Calgary, Department of Geoscience. Geology 203 - Principles of Geology and Geophysics II; Geology 305 - Introduction to Dinosaurs; Geology 491 – Paleobiology. Instructed the laboratory component of undergraduate courses in paleontology and geology, providing engaging demonstrations for each assignment. Organized lab material and set up weekly demonstrations. Promptly evaluated and graded exams and lab assignments. McGee, Page 3 September – December 2008: Research Assistant. University of Calgary, Department of Geoscience. Catalogued fossil and extant specimens of various taxa, including birds, dinosaurs, fish, crocodiles, and turtles. Prepared lecture and tutorial materials for an undergraduate course in paleontology. SELECT PROJECTS September 2012 – March 2013: Dunlap Institute Exhibition Curator. Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics and Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. Co-curated an exhibition entitled “Innovators in Instrumentation: Advancing Astronomy at the Dunlap Institute” that showcases astronomical research at the University of Toronto. Scheduled all collection visits during the initial research and object selection phase of the project. Collaborated with researchers at the Dunlap Institute and Royal Astronomical Society to generate content and write text panels pertaining to Arctic astronomy and historical instrumentation at the Institute. Created a written and photographic inventory of all instruments that went into the exhibition. Participated in the installation of objects and wall hangings in the exhibition space. September – December 2012: Visitor Researcher and Project Coordinator. Royal Ontario Museum and Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. Developed instruments, including a questionnaire, a tracking map and behavior checklist, to analyze visitor experiences in the temporary exhibition “Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants of Gondwana”. Tracked visitor movement throughout the space and collected responses from visitors, and analyzed data using qualitative and quantitative methods. Coordinated all communications between the group, course instructor, and the Manager of Audience Insight at the ROM. Wrote the results section of the group report as well as edited final document. Presented findings to ROM staff and submitted a final report. September – December 2012: New Media Project Interpretive Planner. Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. Co-developed content for a project which proposes a revitalization of permanent ROM galleries through the use of the new media platform SoundCloud. Accessed the interpretive plan in terms of accessibility for the target audience and demonstrated the usability of application in a short instructional video. January – April 2012: Conservation Consultant. Royal Ontario Museum and Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. Developed a conservation assessment report for the Vertebrate Paleontology collection at the ROM, which outlined health and safety concerns, and included mitigative measures that would extend the longevity of the collections and prevent undue harm to specimens and personnel. PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS Zelenitsky, D. K., Therrien, F., Ridgely, R. C., McGee, A. R., and L. M. Witmer. 2011. Evolution of olfaction in non-avian theropod dinosaurs and birds. Proc. R. Soc. B., 278: 3625-3634. SEMINARS AND INVITED LECTURES McGee, A. March 2015. Fossil turtle eggs and turtles from Southern Alberta. Cleveland Geologic Society and the North Coast Fossil Club, Cleveland, Ohio. McGee, Page 4 McGee, A. March, 2010. Turtle eggs and embryos from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta. John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS McGee, A., Charette, N., Goddard, O. and Megaffin, D. 2013. youROaM: A new way of experiencing the Royal Ontario Museum’s permanent galleries. Theory, Practice & Praxis Graduate Student Conference. March 22, 2013. Toronto, Ontario (poster) McGee, A. and Zelenitsky, D. 2011. Preliminary report on the fossilized turtle embryos from the Oldman Formation (Late Campanian, Upper Cretaceous) of Southern Alberta. Dinosaur Research Institute dinner (2010) and Alberta Paleontological Society Symposium (2011) (poster) McGee, A. and Zelenitsky, D. 2009. Preliminary report on the fossilized turtle embryos from the Oldman Formation (Late Campanian, Upper Cretaceous) of Southern Alberta. Gaffney Turtle Symposium Abstract Volume. pg. 115. October 16-19. Drumheller, Alberta (poster) McGee, A. and Tsujita, C. 2007. Faunal composition, paleoecology and taphonomy of the Microcyclus bed from the Middle Devonian Arkona Shale, Southwestern Ontario. Canadian Paleontological Conference Abstracts Volume. p. 19. September 20-23. St. John’s, Newfoundland (oral) LABORATORY EXPERIENCE April 2014 – November 2014: Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, Alberta. Manually prepare ceratopsian bonebed material and marine reptile specimens from surrounding matrix. Sort microvertebrate material from the Scollard Formation of Alberta. December 2012 – March