Curriculum Vitae  

Ashley Caroline Morhardt, M.S.

PhD. Student

Ohio University

Dept. of Biological Sciences
 141 Life Sciences Building
 309-333-2701

am159410@ohio.edu

 

Appointments:

Fall 2010 – Present            Biomedical Sciences Research Assistant – Ohio University

 

Fall 2009- Spring 2010      Biology Laboratory Coordinator, Instructor for undergraduate General Ecology Labs, and Genetics Lecturer -  Western Illinois University

 

Fall 2007-Spring 2009       Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Human Anatomy labs, Department of

                                          Biological Sciences - Western Illinois University

 

Spring 2006                       Intern at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield, Illinois. (Illinois Research and Collections Center Geology/Paleontology Department under the direction of Jessica Theodor, PhD.)

 

2004 to 2005                     Undergraduate Lab Teaching Assistant, Department of Biology -  Illinois College

 

Education:

2009                            M.S., Western Illinois University (Biology), Macomb, IL, GPA: 3.85

2006                            B.S., Illinois College cum laude (Biology major, English minor), Jacksonville, IL

2002                            High School: Crystal Lake South High School, Crystal Lake, IL, Honors

 

Honors:

2002-2006                   Illinois College Presidential Scholar

2002-2006                   Illinois College Presidential Scholarship recipient

2002-2006                   Illinois College Art Scholarship recipient (Drawing, Painting)

2003-2006                   Illinois College Merit Scholar

2005                            Sigma Tau Delta Full membership

2004                            Beta Beta Beta Full membership

2002                            Illinois State Scholar

 

Master’s Thesis

Summer 2009               Dinosaur smiles: Do the texture and morphology of the premaxilla, maxilla, and dentary bones of sauropsids provide osteological correlates for inferring extra-oral structures reliably in dinosaurs?

 

Select Graduate Classes Taken (please see transcript for full course load):  

·         Biometrics (Biological Statistics), Molecular Applied Organismal Biology, Comparative Anatomy, Electron Microscopy, Vertebrate Evolution, Biological Application of GIS, Survey of Biological Literature, Thesis Research, Thesis

 

 

 

Field Experience:

Spring 2008, 2009, 2010         Fossil excavation in Hanksville, Utah with WIU and The Burpee Museum of Rockford; mapped and began analysis of field site using GIS technology.

 

 

Professional Presentations:

-Oral Presentations

Spring 2011                 Morhardt, A.C., Ridgely, R.C., and Witmer, L. M. 2011. A brain the size of a walnut: new studies of brain and inner ear structure in Stegosaurus (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) based on CT scanning and 3D visualization.  Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 43 (1): 119. 

 

Spring 2010                 Morhardt, A.C. 2010.  “Did dinosaurs flash crocodile smiles?” Paleofest, Burpee Museum of Natural History. Rockford, Illinois. March 6, 2010. 

 

Fall 2009                     Morhardt, A., Bonnan, M.F., and Keillor, T. 2009. Dinosaur smiles: correlating premaxilla, maxilla, and dentary foramina counts with extra-oral structures in amniotes and its implications for dinosaurs. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 29 (3A): 152A.

 

Spring 2009                 Morhardt, Ashley C.  “Dinosaur smiles: Do the texture and morphology of the premaxilla, maxilla, and dentary bones of sauropsids provide osteological correlates for inferring extra-oral structures reliably in dinosaurs?”  7^th Annual  WIU Department of Biological Sciences Student Research Symposium, Macomb, Illinois, April 10, 2009. 

 

Morhardt, Ashley C. and Matthew F. Bonnan. “Dinosaur smiles: Do the texture and morphology of the premaxilla, maxilla, and dentary bones of sauropsids provide osteological correlates for inferring extra-oral structures reliably in dinosaurs?”  43^rd Annual Meeting of the North-Central Section of the Geological Society of America, Rockford, Illinois, April 2-3, 2009.

 

Spring 2008                 Morhardt, Ashley C.  “Dinosaur smiles: Do the texture and morphology of the premaxilla, maxilla, and dentary bones of archosaurs provide osteological correlates for inferring extra-oral structures reliably in dinosaurs?”  6^th Annual  WIU Department of Biological Sciences Student Research Symposium, Macomb, Illinois, April 11, 2008.         

 

 

-Posters (Juried):

Spring 2006                 Stice, Andrew, Jessica Rubino, Ashley Kort (Morhardt) (Primary Presenter), Christopher Blanford, Christie Buckingham, Ashley Dwyer, and Rebecca Cobb. “Preparation of whole. mammalian skeletons (Canis latrans, Odocoileus virginianus, Procyon lotor) for a biology museum.” 67th annual conference of Southeastern Biologists. Gatlinburg, Tennessee. March 29-April 1, 2006. 

 

Professional Memberships:

·         Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2008-present

·         The Paleontological Society, 2008-present

·         Geological Society of America, 2009-present

·         Association for Women Geoscientists, 2008-present

 

Professional Skills/Experience:

·         Familiar with WebCT and Blackboard online resources from both the student and instructor’s perspective

·         Experience with building course curriculum and syllabi for semester lecture and lab courses

·         Fully proficient with all common PC programs (Microsoft Word, Excel, etc.)

·         Able to perform many basic analyses using GIS software

·         Competent in the use of both Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopes

·         Familiar with the following statistical and analysis programs: Amira, Avizo, PAUP*, MacClade, Mesquite, SAS, SPSS, TPS

·         Staff management, administration, and laboratory preparation while acting as Lab Coordinator for Western Illinois University:

o   Managed the training, advisement, evaluation, and scheduling of 18 Teaching Assistants

o   Managed and collected assessment data for WIU’s Biology Assistance Center (BAC)

o   Trained teaching assistants to follow Federal Law and/or university policies regarding privacy laws, workplace harassment and discrimination, laboratory safety, chemical use and storage, teaching strategies, grading, etc.

o   Performed weekly preparation meetings, yearly supply ordering and IACUC application submission, as well as proper care and distribution of live lab specimens

o   At peak, managed 45 lab sections that, in total, taught ~1,200 students weekly.

·         Capable of analyzing data using the following web resources:

o   National Center for Biotechnology Information

o   ClustalW2 (European Molecular Biology Laboratory)

 

Leadership/Professional Service:

2006                            Vice President of Beta Beta Beta, Iota Xi chapter

 

2005 to 2006               Voted as Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian for Sigma Tau Delta

 

2005 to 2006               Selected as Senior Officer in charge of Anatomical Sciences Undergraduate

Honors Research Project: “Preparation of whole. mammalian skeletons (Canis latrans, Odocoileus virginianus, Procyon lotor) for a biology museum.”

 

2004 to 2006               Illinois College Campus Writing Center, Science Writer

 

2004 to 2005               Secretary of Beta Beta Beta, Iota Xi chapter

 

2004 to 2005               Illinois College Biology Club President, membership totaling 60