Magdalena Vinson, MS student

Magdalena Vinson, MS student MS candidate
Environmental Education
Email Magdalena

Organization

The Center for Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Personal Statement

I am interested in place-based education and school/community garden programs. I believe that one of the first steps to getting young people to care about the environment is to introduce them to the world immediately surrounding them. Incorporating the outdoors into school curriculums not only teaches the skills needed for standardized testing, it also teaches many life lessons that are often left at the wayside in the current education trends in the U.S. Another way to get children outside is through school gardening programs. Through these programs, children are connected with their local food community, and begin to learn where their food comes from and what can be found in what season.

Education

Antioch University New England, Keene NH
MS Candidate in Environmental Studies, Environmental Education
August 2008 - present

Smith College, Northampton, MA
B.A. in Russian Literature
September 2001-May 2005

Experience and Employment

Field Assistant for Army Department of Natural Resources
Black-capped Vireo Stress Monitoring Project
Ft. Hood, Texas. May 2008-July 2008
Mist-netting birds for blood samples, banding and re-sighting banded birds, nest-searching and conducting chronic stress experiments at the nests, monitoring nest success.

Field Assistant for Army Department of Natural Resources
Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo Stress Monitoring Project
April 2007-July 2007
Mist-netting birds for blood samples, banding and re-sighting banded birds, nest-searching and conducting chronic stress experiments at the nests, monitoring nest success.

Intern for School for Field Studies
Centre for Rainforest Studies
September 2005-December 2006
Teaching assistant for Rainforest Ecology, field research assistant, working with students on directed research projects, working on research and articles for publication.

Intern for NOAA Fisheries
Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle
Summer 2004
Organized field equipment and data sheets, prepared equipment for sample collection, worked with Earthwatch volunteers to collect and enter data, helped with early data analysis and processing. May-Aug 2004, 40-60 hours per week

Teaching Assistant/Lab Assistant for Marine Ecology
Fall 2003
Attended weekly lab sessions with the students, participated in field trips, collected specimens in the field for student research projects. Sept-Dec 2003, 10 hours per week

Zookeeper at the Tulsa Zoo Bird Department
Summer 2003
Cleaned exhibits and prepared and fed the birds, helped with other projects around the zoo grounds, assisted with caring for young penguins and flamingos. May-Aug 2003, 32 hours per week

Publications

Vinson, M.F. and Freeman, A.N.D. 2006. Tooth-billed Bowerbirds establish a lek in Acacia regrowth forest. Sunbird

Freeman, Amanda N.D. and Magdalena F. Vinson. 2008. The effect of Tropical Cyclone Larry on Tooth-billed Bowerbird Scenopoeetes dentirostris court attendance and decoration. Austral Ecology. 33:570-572

Freeman, Amanda N.D., Kyle Pias and Magdalena F. Vinson. 2008. The impact of Tropical Cyclone Larry on bird communities in fragments of the endangered rainforest Type 5b. Austral Ecology. 33:532-540.

Other Skills

Microsoft Word and Excel proficient
ArcGIS 9 proficient
4WD manual/automatic experience
Taking brachial blood samples from songbirds
Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED/Babysitting Instructor

Last Updated: 3/3/10