Jennifer Poo's CV

Education

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, AUSTIN, TX: August 2020 – August 2023
M.A. Cell and Molecular Biology, GPA: 3.92
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE, IRVINE, CA: August 2016 - March 2020
B.S. Biological Sciences with Honors in Biological Sciences, GPA: 3.59

Certifications/Courses

University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX: Creative Communication of Scientific Research, Spring 2022
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX: Grant Writing & Presentation Skills, Fall 2021

Science Communication Experience

Education, Outreach, and Diversity Manager, May 2024 - Present
The NSF Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Carry out all broader impacts activities involving higher education and professional development, broadening participation, and informal science communication

Education Facilitator, December 2023 - May 2024
University of California, Berkeley, The Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, CA

Engage audiences of all ages in activities and conversations relating to biology, computer science, engineering, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and more
Facilitate informal STEAM activities and experiences throughout the Lawrence Hall of Science to support learning in a hands-on and inquiry-based learning environment
Deliver educational program presentations both informally and in a more structured manner

Writer/Science Communicator, September 2023 - Present
MicroBites, Remote

Write and edit articles that translate scientific papers into language accessible to the general public
Keep up to date on research pertaining to microbiology

Graduate Research Assistant, August 2020 - August 2023
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Dr. Shelley Payne

Pass PhD qualifying exams by writing and presenting a proposal on current and future research
Develop slide decks for group presentations geared toward other scientists and the general public
Research and review current published literature regarding research topic
Write and edit manuscripts on my first-author research experiments for Master’s thesis

Writer/Science Communicator, March 2023 - August 2023
The International Microbiology Literacy Initiative, Austin, TX

Contribute instructional material intended for educators about microbes that cause disease in humans

Writer/Contributor, November 2020 - present
The Scope, Austin, TX

Write articles about science communication, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, and the graduate student experience
Interview subjects for articles
Read, edit, and fact-check articles written by other writers
Design and maintain website with HTML/CSS and WordPress
Design newsletters with HTML/CSS and distribute them with MailChimp

Undergraduate Research Assistant, September 2018 - June 2020
University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Dr. Albert Siryaporn

Write and edit manuscripts on my first-author research experiments for publication in scientific journals
Develop slide decks for group presentations geared toward other scientists and the general public
Review published literature regarding research topic

Medicine and Research Committee Chair, June 2018 - June 2020
Morning Sign Out at UCI, Irvine, CA

Approve topics that writers pitched about global and local research
Read, edit, and fact-check articles and video scripts written by committee members
Design and maintain WordPress website & newsletters using HTML/CSS and Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
Promote articles spotlight writers on social media

Writer/Editor, October 2017 - June 2020
Morning Sign Out at UCI, Irvine, CA

Regular site contributor and science communicator
Interview subjects for articles
Write articles & script/edit videos about science, tech, and health news

Teaching/Classroom Experience

Microbiology Laboratory Teaching Assistant, January 2023 – June 2023
University of Texas at Austin, College of Natural Sciences, Austin, TX

Responsible for BIO 226L, provide guidance for undergraduates in microbiological experiments and procedures
Grading lab reports, assignments, and assessments, and providing feedback on scientific writing

Stockroom Assistant, December 2017 - June 2020
University of California, Irvine, Chemistry Department, Irvine, CA

Provided assistance and instruction for students in organic chemistry courses (CHEM M3LC, CHEM H52LA,B,C, CHEM M52LA,B,C, CHEM 128L)
Be familiar with laboratory equipment such as spectrometers, micropipettes, the Chromatotron, etc.

Teacher’s Assistant, June 2016 - July 2016
Richie’s English School, Taipei, Taiwan

Graded essays and personally helped students who did not speak English as their first language
Wrote questions for examinations
Wrote sample essays for students to provide examples of formal English use

Publications

“Do Psychedelics have a Medical Use?” Morning Sign Out at UCI - January 2018
“Doctors Crossing Borders” Morning Sign Out at UCI - March 2018
“The Epipen: The Symbol of American Healthcare” Morning Sign Out at UCI - April 2018
“What’s the Risk?” Morning Sign Out at UCI - July 2018
“Study Drugs: How Do They Work?” Morning Sign Out at UCI - August 2018
“Escherichia coli Mutants Resistant to Biofilm Dispersal from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Signaling.” Journal of Undergraduate Research in the Biological Sciences - June 2020
“What We Need to Learn from the Plastic Shortage” The Scope - September 2021
“Is Science Communication the Solution to STEM’s Inaccessibility?” The Scope - June 2022
“The Great Mastodon Migration” The Scope - November 2022
“Streptococcus pyogenes” The International Microbiology Literacy Initiative: The MicroStars Galleries - unpublished
“Haemophilus influenzae” The International Microbiology Literacy Initiative: The MicroStars Galleries - unpublished
“The role of type I interferon in Shigella flexneri pathogenesis” Master’s Thesis – August 2023
“A Figure is Worth a Thousand Words: A Scientist's Guide to Alt Text” LabBites - October 2023
“Can red seaweed be the solution for cow burps?” MicroBites – October 2023

Presentations

“Escherichia coli Mutants Resistant to Biofilm Dispersal from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Signaling.” Undergraduate Research Symposium - May 2020

Honors/Awards

CHI AM SCHOLARSHIP - Chi Am Circle Club, June 2016
PRESIDENTIAL SERVICE AWARD - Formosa Association of Student Cultural Ambassadors, 2016
DISCOVERY SCHOLARSHIP - University of California, Irvine, September 2016
DEAN’S HONOR LIST - University of California, Irvine, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Winter 2019, Spring 2019
SURP FELLOWSHIP - Summer Undergraduate Research Program, Summer 2019
UROP FELLOWSHIP - Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, 2019-2020 academic year
EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH – UCI Biological Sciences, June 2020
ICMB AWARD - Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, September 2020

Research Experience

Graduate Research Assistant, August 2020 - present
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Dr. Shelley Payne

Human intestinal enteroid (HIE): cultivating HIEs, which are a stem cell derived model of the intestinal epithelium, to be used in modeling intestinal bacterial infections
Bacteroidetes theta outer membrane vesicles (OMV): collecting B. theta OMVs to determine how they affect Shigella flexneri invasion of the intestinal epithelium
Type I interferon (IFN) in S. flexneri infection: determining how the human innate immune response protects against or exacerbates invasive bacterial infections

Undergraduate Research Assistant, September 2018 - June 2020
University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Dr. Albert Siryaporn

Bacterial biofilms and bacterial communication via quorum sensing

Escherichia coli biofilm dispersal via Pseudomonas aeruginosa signaling
Vibrio cholerae biofilm dispersal through autoinducer signaling

Additional Skills

Microscopy – Chemical handling – Aseptic technique – Animal handling – Zotero – Adobe Creative Cloud – G-Suite – MS Office – RStudio – ImageJ – Obsidian – Canvas Instructure – WordPress – MailChimp – HTML/CSS – Mandarin

curriculum vitae