PDF version here. Last updated 8-19-2018.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Aug 2013- current
University of Tennessee, Knoxville- Ph.D, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; Concentration: Behavior
Committee: Susan Riechert, Daniel Simberloff, James Fordyce, Todd Freeberg
Dissertation title: Living on the edge: Range expansion in the globally invasive orbweaver spider, Cyrtophora citricola
May 2012
University of California, Berkeley- B.Sc., Molecular Environmental Biology, Concentration: Entomology
Minor, Forestry and Natural Resources
PREVIOUS RESEARCH EXPERIENCES
May 2013 – Jul 2013 Research Assistant, I-Min Tso Lab, Tunghai University, Taiwan
Jan 2013 – Feb 2013 Field Assistant, Caribbean Biogeography of Arachnids Expedition 2013, Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean
Jul 2012 – Oct 2012 Field Assistant, Steven Beissinger Lab, Hato Masaguaral Research Station, Venezuela
Jun 2012 – Jul 2012 Field Assistant, Caribbean Biogeography of Arachnids Expedition 2012, Dominican Republic
Jan 2012 – May 2012 Lab Preparation Assistant, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California
Sept 2011 – Dec 2011 Student Researcher, Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands Course, Mo’orea, French Polynesia
May 2010 – May 2011 Insectary Assistant, Robert Dudley Lab, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California
Jan 2010 – May 2011 Lab Assistant, Miguel Altieri Lab, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California
PUBLICATIONS
Bosco, J. & Chuang, A. (2018). A new species of grass spider, Agelenopsis riechertii, from the Southwestern USA, with notes on its courtship behavior (Araneae: Agelenidae), Zootaxa, 4442(4): 579–583.
Zhao, L., Panayotova, I. N., Chuang, A., Sheldon, K. S., Bourouiba, L., & Miller, L. A. (2017). Flying Spiders: Simulating and Modeling the Dynamics of Ballooning. In Women in Mathematical Biology (pp. 179-210). Springer, Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-60304-9_10
Sheldon, K. S., Zhao, L., Chuang, A., Panayotova, I. N., Miller, L. A., & Bourouiba, L. (2017). Revisiting the physics of spider ballooning. In Women in Mathematical Biology (pp. 163-178). Springer, Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-60304-9_9
Chuang, A. and Peterson, C. R. 2016. Expanding population edges: theories, traits, and trade-offs. Global Change Biology 22: 494–512.
Blamires, S., Piorkowski, D., Chuang, A., Tseng, Y.-H., Toft, S., and I-M Tso. 2015. Can differential nutrient extraction explain property variations in a predatory trap? Royal Society Open Science. 2:140479. DOI:10.1098/rsos.140479
PUBLISHED REVIEWS
Chuang, A. & J. M. Bush. (2017). Book Review: Judith S. Weis and Daniel Sol (eds): Biological Invasions and Animal Behaviour, Biological Invasions.
Chuang, A. (2017). Game changers, Science. 355(6325): 587-587.
PRESENTATIONS
2018 Chuang, A. & S. E. Riechert. How are personality types of a globally invasive spider structured in its invasive vs. native range? Ecological Society of America Meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA. Poster.
2017 Chuang, A. Defensive strategies of a forest cellar spider through ontogeny and reproductive state. Animal Behavior Society Meeting, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Oral.
2016 Chuang, A. & S. E. Riechert. Behavior-driven range expansion in the colonial tentweb orbweaver, Cyrtophora citricola? International Congress of Arachnology, Golden, CO, USA. Poster.
2012 Chuang, A. Size and motherhood of a French Polynesian spider affects whirling and defensive behaviors. Institute of International Studies Symposium, Berkeley, CA, USA. Oral.
TEACHING
Spring 2018 Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), Models in Biology, UTK.
GTA, Skills of Biological Literacy, UTK.
Fall 2017 Primary Instructor, Honors: Skills of Biological Investigation
2016 Guest Lecturer, “Crash Course in Statistics”, Honors: Skills of Biological Investigation. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
2016 Practitioners Level Certification, Best Practices in Teaching Course, Center for Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
2016 Associates Level Certification, Facilitating Undergraduate Evidence-Based Learning in STEM Course, Center for Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Jan 2015 – May 2015 GTA, Skills of Biological Investigation
Aug 2014 – Dec 2014 GTA, Honors: Skills of Biological Investigation
FUNDING ($147,688 in total)
RESEARCH GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS ($24,922, internal grants italicized)
2018 Arachnological Research Fund, American Arachnological Society, $1000
2017 David F. Ludwig Memorial Student Travel Scholarship, Association for
Environmental Health and Sciences Foundation, $1000
2017 Dept. EEB Research Grant, University of Tennessee, $1800
2016 Dept. EEB Research Grant, University of Tennessee, $1050
2016 Arachnological Research Fund, American Arachnological Society, $300
2016 Love of Learning Grant, Phi Kappa Phi, $500
2016 W.K. McClure Scholarship Fund for the Study of World Affairs, University of Tennessee, $3000
2016 The Explorers Club Exploration Fund- Mamont Scholars Program, $2000
2015 Dept. EEB Research Grant, University of Tennessee, $1072
2015 Young Explorers Grant, National Geographic Society, $5000
2015 The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research, American Philosophical Society, $5000
2014 Grants-In-Aid of Research, Sigma Xi, $700
2014 Dept. EEB Research Grant, University of Tennessee, $1072
2013 Dept. EEB Research Grant, University of Tennessee, $428
2011 Institute of International Studies Undergraduate Merit Scholarship, UC Berkeley, $1000
FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS, AND HONORS ($120,186)
2018 Diversity Travel Award, Animal Behavior Society, $125
2018 Tom Hallam Award for outstanding contributions to the grad experience, Dept. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, $500
2018 Travel Award, Graduate Student Senate, University of Tennessee, $700
2017 Tom Hallam Award for outstanding contributions to the grad experience, Dept. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, $500
2017 Travel Award, Graduate Student Senate, University of Tennessee, $480
2017 Diversity Travel Award, Animal Behavior Society, $125
2017 Travel Award, Graduate Researchers in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, $150
2017 Graduate Student Senate Award for Excellence in Research, University of Tennessee
2016 Chancellor’s Funds and Stipend Top-off awards, University of Tennessee, $4375
2016 Travel Award, Graduate Student Senate, University of Tennesssee, $710
2016 Travel Award, Graduate Researchers in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, $130
2016 Travel Award, American Arachnological Society, $537
2015 Tom Hallam Award for outstanding contributions to the grad experience, Dept. EEB, University of Tennessee
2015 Chancellor’s Funds and Stipend Top-off awards, University of Tennessee, $3728
2014 Chancellor’s Funds and Stipend Top-off awards, University of Tennessee, $3978
2013 Chancellor’s Funds and Stipend Top-off awards, University of Tennessee, $3728
2013 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, $102,000 total
2012 Best Paper Award, Institute of International Studies, $1000
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
JOURNAL REVIEWER
2015 – 2018 Biological Invasions (3), Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2), Behavioral Ecology (1), Southeastern Naturalist (1)
SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP
American Arachnological Society; Animal Behavior Society, Citizen Science Association; Ecological Society of America; International Society of Arachnology
CONTRIBUTOR
2016 – 2018 Studio Tomás Saraceno: Hybrid Webs art installations and sculptures
WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT
2015 Women in Mathematical Biology: Aerodynamics of spider ballooning, National Institute of Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, Knoxville, TN
UNDERGRADUATE MENTORSHIP
2015 Ashish Gauli, Nathan Wikle, Ryan Yan: “Ships, Ports, Invasions, and Math: Invasive Species Movements through Global Shipping Routes”, Summer Research Experience project at the National Institute of Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, Knoxville, TN
LEADERSHIP
2017 – 2018, Graduate Student Representative, EEB Faculty Graduate Affairs Committee
2016, 2017, President, Graduate Researchers in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution (GREBE), University of Tennessee
2016 – 2017 Graduate Student Representative, EEB Faculty Executive Committee
Fall 2015 Vice President, GREBE, University of Tennessee
2015 – 2016 University of Tennessee Graduate Student Senate Travel Awards Committee
2015 – 2016 University of Tennessee Graduate Student Senator
2014 – 2015 Dept. EEB Friday Seminar Committee organizer, University of Tennessee
COMMUNITY SERVICE
2018 Volunteer Leader, West High School IB Biology Course, Knoxville, TN
2018 Volunteer, Tennessee State Science Olympiad, Knoxville, TN
2017 Volunteer, EEB Outreach Committee, Vestal Boys and Girls Club, Knoxville, TN
2016-2017 Volunteer Instructor, Kids University: Vertebrate Zoology, UT Knoxville, TN
2015 Volunteer, THRIVE program for underprivileged students, Knoxville, TN
2015 Volunteer Instructor, Kids University: Animal Behavior, UT Knoxville, TN
2015 Volunteer, Pond Gap Elementary School, Knoxville, TN
2014 – 2016 Volunteer, UTK Darwin Week, UT Knoxville, TN
2014 Volunteer Instructor, Kids University: BUGS, UT Knoxville, TN
2014 Volunteer, U.S. Science and Engineering Fair, Washington D.C.
2013 – 2016 EEB Undergraduate Mentor, UT EEB Department, Knoxville, TN
2013 – 2015 Volunteer, Bat Exhibit, Boo at the Zoo, Knoxville Zoological Gardens, TN
2013 Leader, Spider Outreach Camp, Caribbean Expedition, Dominican Republic
2009 – 2011 Volunteer, Hands on Science, Le Conte Elementary School, Berkeley, CA
