Rachelle E. Williams
228-818-8810
rachelle.cooley@eagles.usm.edu
Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
703 East Beach Drive
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Interests
The role of Vibrios in shark and bottlenose dolphin blood and tissue.Education
Ph.D. student, Coastal Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, In Progress.
B.S., Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, July 2009. Magna Cum Laude.
A.A., Biology, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, December 2007. Honors.
Research Experience
September 2010 – present. Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. M.S.R. 798. A Bottlenose Dolphin Surveillance Team for the Mississippi Sound; Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement; Coastal Impact Assistance Program. Understanding the role of bacteriology in bottlenose dolphin strandings
August 2009 – present. Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Fecal coliforms and pathogenic Vibrios.#S-09-USM-EDRPII-Vibrio-05 Mississippi Department of Marine Resources/USM.
May 2008 – August 2008. Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve/National Wildlife Refuge. Mississippi diamondback terrapin nesting beach surveys.
Honors Thesis title: Aspects of the Nesting Ecology of Mississippi diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin pileata) at the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Fall 2007. Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve/National Wildlife Refuge.
Freshwater area fish sampling. MGCCC Honors Biology Program.
Fall 2006. Singing River Hospital Cancer Research Center.
Analysis and summary of MedWatch and AdDeers forms for Institutional Review Board. MGCCC Honors Biology Program.
Work Experience
August 2009 – present. Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Graduate Research Assistant, Marine Microbiology.
June 29, 2009 – July 24, 2009. Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Teaching Assistant. Summer Field Program COA 301/L Marine Biology.
Proficiencies
- Field research experience
- Aseptic water sampling
- Use of YSI for physical parameter collection
- Laboratory research experience
- Motte Turbidimeter
- MPN analysis
- Water enrichment
- Direct Plate Colony Hybridization
- FDA Real-time PCR
- DNA/RNA extraction
- Computer software packages
- Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Word)
- SPSS 17
- R 2.11.1
- ArcGIS 9.3
- Scuba Certification
- Open Water Certification: Summer 2001
- Advanced Open Water Certification: 05 October 2003
- Peak Performance Buoyancy Certification: 21 June 2007
- Aware Fish Identification Certification: 21 June 2007
- Equipment Specialist Certification: 23 February 2009