Sarah C. Muffelman
101 Bienville Blvd.
Dauphin Island, Alabama 36528
(251) 861-2259 (work)
smuffelman@disl.org
EDUCATION
College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point,
Virginia. 2006 M.S. graduate in Marine Science. Courses included Ichthyology, Early
Life of Marine Fishes, Zooplankton Ecology, Basic Statistics and Multivariate Analysis.
Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina.
2000 B.S. graduate in Biology. Courses included Vertebrate Field Zoology, Animal
Physiology, Chemistry, Botany, and Biostatistics.
School for Field Studies, Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies.
1998 Fall semester. Completed Marine Resource Management semester program.
Courses included Tropical Marine Ecology, Resource Management, and Principles of
Economics.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Graduate Student Assistantship, Sept. 2002-April 2006. Virginia Institute of Marine
Science, Gloucester Point, Virginia. Duties for advisor’s research included seine
sampling and identification of Virginia’s coastal ocean, estuarine, and tidal freshwater
fish species. Also trawl sampling and identification of juvenile finfish and crustaceans.
Other research included active fish tracking and tagging, gill netting, fish gut content
analysis, estuarine zooplankton/ invertebrate sampling and identification, and database
management. Supervised volunteers and technicians.
Wildlife Biologist Assistant, Jan.-June 2002. Clemson University, Savannah River Site,
South Carolina. Surveyed amphibian populations by daily checking drift fences, poles
for tree frogs, and marking with VIE on the Savannah River Site. Independently
identified, measured, marked and released amphibians, repaired drift fences and
supervised one volunteer. Assisted with other students’ research including electrofishing
and tracking of American shad. Maintained database.
Environmental Education Instructor, Jan.-June, and Aug.-Dec. 2001 (schoolyear).
Jekyll Island 4-H Center, Jekyll Island, Georgia. Taught ecology classes in field and
classroom to school groups, fourth through ninth grades. Identified coastal plants and
animals of marsh, beach and forest; drove class vans; cared for aquarium and education
animals.
Resource Management Intern, June-Aug. 2001. Assateague Island National Seashore,
National Park Service, Berlin, Maryland. Sampled bay and ocean water by boat, assessed
for environmental parameters including, salinity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, prepared
for bacterial counts. Maintained and calibrated equipment, recorded data, drove vehicles
on beach, assisted with other field activities.
Conservation Associate (Intern), Environmental Science, Nov.-Dec. 2000. The
Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Naples, Florida. Measured growth rates of mangrove
plots and recorded data, assisted in propagation and restoration projects. Assisted in bird
surveys, water quality sampling and independently performed chemical analyses. Utilized
survey equipment and both human and motor powered watercraft.
Conservation Associate (Intern), Sea Turtles, May-Oct. 2000. The Conservancy of
Southwest Florida, Naples, Florida. Patrolled nesting beaches at night on ATV’s
independently or in pairs, located nest sites and caged nests, collected clutch hatching
data, spoke with residents, wrote seasonal nesting and hatching report. Utilized kayaks
and drove outboards through National Estuarine Research Reserve at night.
SKILLS AND CERTIFICATIONS
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Advanced Diver certification, NAUI 1998
VIMS Vessel Captain and Driver certified, small Privateers
Coast Guard Auxiliary Boating Skills and Seamanship course completed
Experienced with Carolina Skiffs, johnboats, motored canoes, kayaks, and crew
shells and vessel trailering
Experienced with SAS, SPSS, Minitab programs; Proficient in Microsoft Word,
Excel, Access and Powerpoint.
HONORS
NOAA/ Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee Research Grant, Project title
“A historical and field investigation of juvenile striped bass (Morone saxatilis) habitat
distribution in relation to feeding and environmental conditions.” Co-PI’s Dr. Herb
Austin, Dr. John Graves, Ms. Mandy Hewitt. Awarded November 2004.
Best Poster Award, Student Poster Competition, Southern Division of the American
Fisheries Society Meeting, February 2005.
Davidson College Honor Scholarship recipient, 1996-1999.
William S. Byrd Scholarship, State of VA, academics and leadership, 1996-1999.