Science Educator and Researcher

Christopher Finck

*****.******@*****.*** • 845-***-**** • 22 Goodwin Pl 4F Brooklyn, NY 11221

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Developmental Biology, Stem Cells, Biomechanics, Vertebrate Evolution, Osteology, Functional Anatomy EDUCATION

Northeastern University Boston, MA • 2015 – 2019

BS Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, minor in Mathematics Relevant coursework: Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Musculoskeletal Biomechanics, Wildlife Ecology, Landscape and Restoration Ecology, Biostatistics

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2022 - 2024 Science Research Mentor – American Museum of Natural History

- Led NYC high school students on independent research projects in the SRMP and Lang programs

- Investigated role of body size and locomotor pattern on osteon size and density of limb bone cross- sections across various mammalian species

- Examined correlation between size, diet, and ecological traits on skull shape in ruminants using 3D Geometric Morphometrics

- Incorporated lessons based on field excursions and museum exhibits to allow students to draw connections between their projects and the real world.

- Developed students’ oral and written communication skills, culminating in successful presentation of their projects at a poster session

2019 - 2021 Research Assistant – MacRae Lab, Brigham & Women’s Hospital

- Examined role of Prdm16 in arterial specification and cardiac function in zebrafish through genetic knockout and knockdown experiments, confocal imagery, and image processing

- Evaluated role of Neuregulin in cardiomyocyte function in early zebrafish embryos through knockdown and inhibition experiments, calcium imaging, and voltage mapping

- Contributed to the above and further projects in the lab using microinjections of morpholino and CRISPR, RNA and DNA extraction, PCR, qPCR, RT-qPCR, Luciferase assays, Western Blot, phenotypic rescue experiments, immunohistochemistry, FACS, and high-speed image capture

- Mixed solutions, prepared media, and maintained chemical stocks

- Performed general zebrafish husbandry and facility maintenance

- Trained new hires in laboratory safety, techniques, and protocols 2017 - 2019 Collections Intern – Museum of Comparative Morphology, Harvard University

- Subsampled biological tissue specimens in cryogenic storage, prepared new samples for storage, and scanned entries into a database

- Reorganized mammal study skins and skeletons and rehoused vertebrate paleontological specimens

- Processed loan requests and prepared specimens for loans 2017 Collections Assistant – Ocean Genome Legacy

- Dissected and extracted DNA from marine vertebrates and invertebrates

- Designed and optimized a protocol for extracting DNA from macroalgae

- Developed teaching materials for and taught workshop on DNA replication and the applications of DNA barcoding for high school students

2014 - 2015 Zookeeper and Counselor – Trevor Zoo

- Prepared and executed individualized diets and daily cognitive enrichment for animals

- Maintained safe environment with animals while engaging youth volunteers in animal care

- Delivered brief informal educational speeches to visitors while performing public feeding demonstrations

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Baruch College: Adjunct Instructor

Spring 2024 BIO 1016 – Lab for Fundamentals of Biology, 1 Section, 18 students Fall 2023 BIO 3010 – Lab for Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, 1 section, 19 students Spring 2023 ENV 1004 – Fundamentals of Ecological Research, 2 sections, 39 students Fall 2022 ENV 1004 – 1 section, 21 students

BIO 3010 – Lab for Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, 1 section, 19 students Northeastern University: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Spring 2019 BIOL 2220 – Lab for Integrated Anatomy And Physiology 2, 1 section, 18 students Fall 2018 BIOL 1018 – Lab for Foundations of Biology, 2 sections, 37 students MANUSCRIPTS IN PREPARATION

"Prdm16 amplifies notch signaling and suppresses venous lineage specification to prevent arteriovenous malformations during vascular development." Van Wauwe, Jore, S. Craps, A. KC, L. Asuncion, P. Vrancaert, D. Daems, C. Finck, S. Wright, M. Alawi, and C. Müller. BioRxiv (2024). doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.05.471275 OUTREACH AND VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

2017 Nahant Bioblitz

Assisted children and families collect and identify intertidal organisms during an annual bioblitz event, catalogued specimens on iNaturalist

2017 High School Marine Science Symposium

Ran two workshop sessions teaching high school students about DNA barcoding and its applications in wildlife and fisheries management

OTHER SKILLS

R, UNIX, MATLAB, ImageJ, Abaqus, OpenSim, Confocal microscopy, Immunohistochemistry, Optical mapping, Calcium imaging, Microinjections, Zebrafish husbandry, Animal handling (large, small, invertebrates, vertebrates), MS Office (Powerpoint, Word, Excel), Artec 3-Dimensional Scanning, Geometric Morphometrics, Western Blot, FACS, Nucleid Acid Quality Control (Nanodrop, Tapestation, Qubit), Library Prep

Contact this candidate