Purple Penguin Tutoring

I'm a graduate student currently pursuing a bioengineering degree at the Keck Graduate Institute, The Claremont Colleges.

I am a ball of energy that is excited to inspire other in science and technology. I have 10+ years of tutoring experience and about 4+ years in small classroom, teaching experience.

My favorite part of working with students is the collaborative bond we forge as well as the knowledge we gain together. I'm a huge proponent of thinking differently, so if one way of my teaching doesn't quite make sense, I'll do my best to find other ways to explain concepts.

I've worked with students of various ages, ranging from elementary school to high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels.

I enjoy teaching and tutoring because you never truly know how well you know a topic, until you try and teach it! So every time I teach a topic, I learn something new as well, maybe it's the same concept but I'll learn different ways to teach it or different explanations that work with varying learning styles. I also love the collaborative environment and bond that I create with my students and at times the mentorship we create together.

Some of my formal experiences include:

• Growing and managing a diverse team within the Aran lab (https://www.aranlab.org/), which grew from myself as the second graduate student to over 50 team members cumulatively over the years

• Coordinating monthly project budgets and expenses under the supervision of Dr. Kiana Aran (https://www.aranlab.org/) and maintaining inventories and equipment

• Stimulating lab growth as the primary hiring manager in finding scientific talent and assigning to projects with specific needs

• Mentoring and collaborating with colleagues ranging from high school students and undergraduates, to graduate students, post-graduate scholars and industry professionals

• Guest lecturer for graduate-level courses: Advanced Medical Devices, Advanced Drug Delivery, and Advanced Biosensors

Graduate student thesis supervisor:

o Decorating Red Blood Cell Exosomes for CRISPR-Cas9 Delivery Across the Blood-Brain Barrier (Master level thesis)

o MicroRNA Expression Profiling of Erythrocyte-Derived Exosomes: Investigating the Role of miRNA in Neurodegenerative and Age-Related Diseases and Disorders (Undergraduate level thesis)

o Expansion of organ-on-a-chip, blood-brain barrier model with neuroinflammatory studies (Undergraduate level thesis; Master level thesis)

Additional Service/Education/Awards Experience:

School on Wheels- Skid Row Learning Center Tutor

• Served as a STEM tutor for Pre-K to Grade 12 for homeless children in the Los Angeles area

• Coordinated a school supply fundraiser for School on Wheels students

• Provided mentorship and advice for continued education for students

KGI Global Medical Brigades- President of External Affairs

• Corresponding with internal affairs co-president, fellow board members, and Global Medical Brigades (GMB) in-country contact for medical brigade planning, travel and flight planning, and collection of medical supplies

• Guiding active members for pre-departure support, travel advice and documentation, and effective fundraising

• Advocating for underserved communities to local businesses to raise awareness and donations for brigade supplies

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS

• Keck Graduate Institute Rigg’s School of Applied Life Sciences PhD Student Research Award

• MicroTAS 2021 Lab on a Chip – Widmer Award Nominee

• MicroTAS 2021 CHEMINAS – Young Researcher Award Nominee

• MicroTAS 2021 Sensors (MDPI) – Outstanding Sensors and Actuators, Detection Technologies Award Nominee

• MicroTAS 2021 IMT Masken und Teilungen AG – Microfluidics on Glass Award Nominee

• Keck Graduate Institute Dean’s List (Fall 2017-May 2019)

• Ian Phillip’s Scholarship Award

Email: [email protected]

www.linkedin.com/in/jonalyn-herce