Lab Safety FoCell Biologist

Tonya L. Strange

Brownsburg, IN *****

**********@*****.*** 317-***-****

Energetic Corporate Safety and Operations Professional Cell Culture and Laboratory SOPs

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

Highly productive and collaborative corporate laboratory project coordinator with excellent written and oral communication skills specializing in plant tissue culture and genome editing with expertise in environmental health & safety, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and LEAN/Six Sigma practices. Trained on OSHA requirements for waste management, hazardous materials handling, chemical storage and chemical and hazardous materials disposal. Responsible for training others on following appropriate emergency procedures and responses. Responsible for coordinating lab equipment, chemical storage, ordering safety equipment, safety supplies, and PPE. Responsible for safety paperwork involving near miss incidents, safety positives, safety meetings, and safety training. Created and managed approvals for SOPs of 25 research laboratories. Responsible for approving new safe work permits. Technically strong in Microsoft Office Products, including, Excel, Word and Power Point. Experience with purchasing and tracking invoices for lab and office equipment and supplies.

KEY SKILLS

Cell Culture/Transformation

Media Preparation

LEAN/Six Sigma Training

Microscopy/Photography

Safety

40hr HAZWOPER certification

Experimental Design

Educational Outreach

Field and Greenhouse work

Quality Assurance

CPR/AED Certified

Written and Oral Communication

Project/Lab Management

Work orders/Procurement of Equipment

SOP Subject Matter Expert

Supervision

Microsoft Office Programs

Leadership/Organization

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

DOW AGROSCIENCES, Indianapolis, IN 1998 - 2015

Biotechnology Research Technician, Area Safety Focal Point Back-Up, CRA Focal Point

Technologist

Successful project and lab manager, coordinated various tissue culture and genome editing projects simultaneously from the planning stage to implementation and advancement. Planned project needs (tissue culture media, greenhouse target material, supplies, labor), prioritized projects, and coordinated project advancement for characterization and ultimately to the greenhouse for seed bulk-up.

•Facilitated internal and external communications including major scientific publication and presentation to internal and external audiences.

•Improved timelines by designing and initiating optimization experiments, ultimately reducing experiment-to-analysis time for a team of nine.

•Subject Matter Expert for the establishment and implementation of departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

•Safety leader responsible for developing and reviewing procedures for working in sterile environments, handling hazardous materials, and responding to emergencies.

Senior Technician

Streamlined canola transgenic production for product development. Managed >20 contract research associates (CRA). Monitored all lab equipment and coordinated any necessary repairs.

•Sole patent inventor on a ‘vacuum transfer system’ to prevent/alleviate ergonomic injuries which resulted in 3 patents assigned to Dow AgroSciences.

•Fostered a positive team atmosphere following unexpected restructuring.

•Trained staff in aseptic technique, biosafety, tissue culture, media preparation, the safe handling and proper disposal requirements of many substances (e.g., DNA, Agrobacterium, antibiotics, herbicides, etc.) and proper laboratory notebook and record retention policies.

•On-boarded new employees and contractors for EH&S requirements, training and safety orientations. Liaison between DOW AgroSciences EH&S, Corporate Supervisors and Kelly Scientific Resources Management.

Associate Technician

Co-developed a system for producing transgenic rice.

•Trained in plant tissue culture including rice, soybean, maize, tobacco, canola, and cotton.

•Produced and maintained plants in the greenhouse.

PUBLICATIONS

Trait Stacking via Targeted Genome Editing

William Michael Ainley, Lakshmi Sastry-Dent, Mary E. Welter, Michael G. Murray, Bryan Zeitler, Rainier Amora, David R. Corbin, Rebecca R. Miles, Nicole L. Arnold, Tonya L. Strange, Matthew A. Simpson, Zehui Cao, Carley Carroll, Katherine S. Pawelczak, Ryan Blue, Kim West, Lynn M. Rowland, Douglas Perkins, Pon Samuel, Cristie M. Dewes, Liu Shen, Shreedharan Sriram, Steven L. Evans, Edward J. Rebar, Lei Zhang, Phillip D. Gregory, Fyodor D. Urnov, Steven R. Webb, Joseph F. Petolino; Plant Biotechnology Journal; Published on 01 Dec 2013, doi:10.1111/pbi.12107

Targeting DNA to a previously Integrated Transgenic Locus Using Zinc Finger Nucleases

Tonya L Strange, Joseph F Petolino

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.); Published on 01 Jan 2012, doi:10.1007/978-1-61779-558-9_31

Zinc Finger Nuclease-Mediated Transgene Deletion

Joseph F Petolino, Andrew Worden, Krisi Curlee, James Connell, Tonya L Strange Moynahan, Cory Larsen, Sean Russell

Plant molecular biology; Published on 01 Aug 2010, doi:10.1007/s11103-010-9641-4

ISSUED PATENTS

US2011/0195845 A1 Constructs for Expressing Herbicide Tolerance Genes, Related Plants and Related Trait Combinations

US8293532 B2 Method and Apparatus for Tissue Transfer

US8722407 B2 Method and Apparatus for Tissue Transfer

US8293532 Method and Apparatus for Tissue Transfer

AWARDS

Runner-up 2014 The Society for In-Vitro Biology photo contest - photograph featured on website.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Visited area elementary schools and junior colleges to educate and demonstrate plant transformation and DNA precipitation. Prepared tour stop for National Future Farmers of America Convention tours onsite at Dow AgroSciences, wrote script for scientists, and prepared all materials and presentations.

• Gleaners Food Bank, 2015

• FFA tour guide and judge, 2005-2015

• Habitat for Humanity, 2012-2014

• Kids Against Hunger, 2011-2015

EDUCATION

Vincennes University

Associate of Science, Fine Arts, Recipient of Shircliff Humanities Scholarship

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