CURRICULUM VITAE

Brianna M. Tracy
Work: 647 Contees Wharf Road, PO Box 28, Edgewater, Maryland 21037
Phone: (443) 482-2468 e-mail: tracyb@si.edu
http://www.btracy.weebly.com | http://www.linkedin.com/btracysawdey/

EDUCATION

MASTER OF SCIENCE, MARINE SCIENCE August 2013

University of San Diego – San Diego, CA

ADVANCED TUNICATE BIOLOGY July 2011

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute – Bocas Del Toro, Panama
Integrating Modern and Traditional Techniques for the Study of Ascidians

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE, MARINE SCIENCE, cum laude May 2010

University of South Carolina – Columbia, SC
Emphasis: Biological Oceanography; Coastal Resource Management & Marine Policy

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

SMITHSONIAN ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER – Edgewater, Maryland January 2019 –

Group Research Coordinator Present
 Lead the implementation of specific research projects and coordinate workflow in the lab to facilitate group
research tasks, including preparation, sampling, and experimental surveys in aquatic ecosystems
 Aggregates information from project managers and staff to match group research needs to personnel time
and expertise
 Provide annual written assessment of strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations

Research Biologist & Lab Safety Manager May 2015 –

 Collect, synthesize, evaluate, and present scientific and technical data for an array of audiences Present
 Analyze data, write reports/publications, and conduct literature reviews for a variety of lab-specific projects
 Obtain various research and collection permits (e.g. federal, state, military) for experimental studies
 Primary Projects: National Fouling Survey, Nearshore Survey, The North Pacific Marine Science Organization
(PICES) and Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris (JTMD), Biogeographic Variation in Interaction Strength and
Invasions at the Ocean’s Nearshore (BioVision), PanAmerican Experiment (PanAmEx)
 Other: Zooniverse/PlateWatch Pilot Project (Invader ID), Social Media Co-Manager (@SERCinvasions)

Marine Invasions Research Laboratory Contracted Employee March –

 Assess on-going invasive species study of the Panama Canal in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical August 2014
Research Institute (Naos Island Laboratories and Galeta Marine Laboratory)
 Assisted in the collection and eradication of non-native European green crabs (Carcinus maenas) within an
estuary located near San Francisco Bay

Marine Invasions Research Laboratory Graduate Intern July –

 Invasive species monitoring of the California coast and Chesapeake Bay as part of the National Fouling December 2013
Survey
 Operation of aquaria system that simulates the effect of fluctuating environmental conditions experienced by
trans-oceanic voyages on the transport of non-indigenous marine species

UNIV. OF SAN DIEGO MARINE SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES – San Diego, California August 2010 –
Graduate Research August 2013
Brianna M. Tracy CURRICULUM VITAE Page 2 of 6

 Organized, conducted, and analyzed interdisciplinary research using field sampling techniques to analyze
fouling communities on various spatial and temporal scales in physically and biologically dominated coastal
and estuarine environments
 Thesis Title: Temporal and spatial variation in native and non-indigenous ascidian settlement within fouling
communities in Mission Bay, San Diego, California
 Thesis Committee: Drs. Nathalie Reyns and Drew Talley (University of San Diego), Dr. Jeff Crooks (Tijuana
River National Estuarine Research Reserve)

UNITED STATES NAVY SPACE AND NAVAL WARFARE SYSTEMS COMMAND – San Diego, California July 2011
Research Assistant
 San Diego Bay ‘Rapid Assessment’ for species collection/identification with taxonomist Gretchen Lambert

UNIV. SOUTH CAROLINA MEIOBENTHIC ECOLOGY/ESTUARINE ECOTOXICOLOGY LAB – Columbia, SC Aug. 2008 –
Undergraduate Research May 2010
 Howard Hughes Undergraduate Project Title: Analysis and fate of single-walled carbon nanotubes and their
manufacturing byproducts in estuarine sediments and benthic organisms; Dr. G. Thomas Chandler (Mentor)
 Lab Project Title: Harpacticoid copepod development and reproduction round-robin test for OECD validation
of a new international test guideline; Dr. G. Thomas Chandler (Mentor)
 Magellan Scholar Undergraduate Project Title: The Effects of pCO2 on Coccolithophore (Emiliania huxleyi)
Calcite Shell Formation; Dr. Christopher Hintz (Mentor)

Research Assistant September 2007

 Maintained and properly identified estuarine meiofauna for use in examining estuarine ecotoxicology – May 2010
experiments
 Examined the effects of emerging contaminants – such as nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals – on
benthos
 Maintained aquacultures and algal stocks (Rhodomonas sp, Laminariocolax sp, Isochrysis sp, Dunaliella
sp) for use in questions linked to paleoceanography and climate change

PUBLICATIONS

Newcomer K, B Tracy, A Chang, and G Ruiz. (Accepted.) Assessing Resolution and Accuracy of Photograph-based Identification of
Marine Invertebrates and the Implications for Management of Non-native Species. Frontiers.
Ruiz G, J Geller … B Tracy et al. 2018. Spatial and temporal analysis of marine invasions in California, Part II: Humboldt Bay, Marina
del Rey, Port Hueneme, and San Francisco Bay, Part I: Morphological Detection and Analysis of NIS by Habitat. Report.
California Department of Fish and Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Marine Invasive Species Program,
Agreement No.: P1475001 & P1475002, n.d. Web.
Ruiz G, J Geller … B Tracy et al. 2015. Spatial and temporal analysis of marine invasions in Morphological and Molecular
Comparisons across Habitats, Part I: Morphological Detection and Analysis of NIS by Habitat. Report. California Department
of Fish and Game Marine Invasive Species Program, Agreement No.: P1475001 & P1475002, n.d. Web.
Tracy B, K Larson, G Ashton, G Lambert, A Chang, and G Ruiz. 2017. Northward range expansion of three non-native ascidians on the
west coast of North America. BioInvasions Records. 6(3): 203-209. doi: 10.3391/bir.2017.6.3.0
Tracy B and N Reyns. 2014. Spatial and temporal patterns of native and invasive ascidian assemblages in a Southern California
embayment. Aquatic Invasions. 9(4): 441-445. doi: 10.3391/ai.2014.9.4.03
Tracy B 2013. Temporal and spatial variation in native and non-indigenous ascidian settlement within fouling communities in Mission
Bay, San Diego, California. Thesis. University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.

ABSTRACTS & PRESENTATIONS

Tracy B and K Newcomer. 2018. Monitoring Marine Fouling Assemblages Using Comparative Techniques: Assessing Resolution and
Accuracy of Photograph-based Taxonomy of Invertebrates. Oral presentation. Presented at Smithsonian Environmental
Research Center. Edgewater, MD.
Tracy B and K Newcomer. 2017. Monitoring Marine Fouling Assemblages Using Comparative Techniques: Assessing Resolution and
Accuracy of Photograph-based Taxonomy of Invertebrates. Oral presentation. Presented at The 46th Benthic Ecology Meeting
Society, Myrtle Beach, SC. 13 April 2017.
Brianna M. Tracy CURRICULUM VITAE Page 3 of 6

Campbell T, J Geller, P Heller, G Ruiz, A Chang, L McCann, L Ceballos, M Marraffini, G Ashton, K Larson, S Havard, B Tracy, M
Repetto, and K Newcomer. 2016. Monitoring and Surveillance of Marine Invasive Species in Californian Waters by DNA
Barcoding: Methodological and Analytical Solutions. American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences Meeting. New Orleans,
Louisiana. 21-26 Feb 2016.
Tracy B and N Reyns 2013. Spatiotemporal patterns of native and invasive ascidian assemblages in Mission Bay, San Diego, CA,
USA. Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation. San Diego, California. 3-7 November 2013.
Reyns N, D Martinez, and B Tracy. 2013. The effects of environmental conditions on growth rates of the invasive ascidian Botrylloides
violaceus in a southern California bay. Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation. 3-7 November 2013.
Tracy B. Temporal and spatial variation in native and non-indigenous ascidian settlement within fouling communities in Mission Bay,
San Diego, California. Oral presentation. Master’s thesis defense at the University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, June 20,
2013.
Tracy B. 2012. Temporal and spatial variation within fouling communities in Mission Bay, San Diego, California. California Estuarine
Research Society. Long Beach, California. 27 – 28 September 2012.
Tracy B. 2012. Temporal and spatial variation in native and non-indigenous ascidian settlement within fouling communities in Mission
Bay, San Diego, California. Southern California Academy of Sciences. Los Angeles, California. 4-5 May 2012.
Tracy B. 2011. Ascidians on Natural vs. Artificial Substrate in the Bocas Research Station Bay. Oral presentation. Presented at the
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Bocas del Toro, Panama, June 29, 2011.
Tracy B. 2011. Temporal and spatial variation in native and non-indigenous ascidian settlement within fouling communities in Mission
Bay, San Diego, California. Oral presentation. Presented at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Bocas del Toro,
Panama, June 20, 2011.
Tracy B. and T Chandler. 2010. Analysis and fate of single-walled carbon nanotubes and their manufacturing byproducts in estuarine
sediments and benthic organisms. Oral presentation. Presented at University of South Carolina Discovery Day, Columbia, SC,
April 30, 2010.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, OUTREACH, & MENTORSHIP

2017 – Present Mentor & Educator – Skype-A-Scientist

2015 – Present Mentor – NSF REU interns via Smithsonian Women in Science
2015 – Present Mentor – Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Seminar Q&A for Summer Interns
2018 Guest Speaker – Ocean Institute. ‘Monitoring Marine Fouling Assemblages Using Comparative Techniques:
Assessing Resolution and Accuracy of Photograph-Based Taxonomy of Invertebrates. Alternate title? Settlement
Panels, Photographs, and Citizen Science. Oh, my!’
2018 Photography & Interview – National Geographic. “Invasive Species Are Riding on Plastic Across the Oceans.”
2018 Television Interview – WJZ13 CBS Baltimore. “Researchers Looking For Invasive Chinese Mitten Crab In
Chesapeake.”
2018 Print Interview – USAToday Affiliate. “Smithsonian wants you to look out for this invasive crab species.”
2018 Print Interview – Fox 5 DC. “Don't throw this invasive species of crabs back in the water, officials say.”
2018 Print Interview – Bay Journal. “Public asked to be on the lookout for ‘missing’ mitten crab.”
2018 Guest Speaker – South River High School STEM. ‘Careers in ecology and environmental science’
2018 Television Interview – PearVideo. “Chinese Mitten Crabs.”
2018 Print Interview – SHORELINES Blog. “Citizen Science: Help Spot Invaders With Your Smart Phone.”
2017 Internal Website and Identification Guide – The Fouling Project.
2017 Interview Coordination & Photography – YouTube. “Plate Watch--2017 Citizen Science Newsletter.”
2017 Print Interview – Los Angeles Daily News. “What’s best weapon for battling species invading California waters?
Data.”
2017 Print Interview – NPR KPCC 89.3 Southern California. “How 'white blobs' and other species invaded California's
waters.”
2017 Radio Interview – NPR KPCC 89.3 Southern California. “How 'white blobs' and other species invaded California's
waters.”
2017 Mentor – NSF REU: Investigating the Role of Propagule Pressure in the Settlement and Survival of Eastern
Oysters (Crassostrea virginica)
2016 Photography – Ascidian (Diplosoma listerianum) photographs for forthcoming field guide of the marine fauna of
Ecuador
2016 Mentor – NSF REU project: Marine Fouling Community Recruitment in Rehoboth Bay, Delaware
2015 Literature Review – Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. "Natural Gas Hydrofracking in Virginia."
Brianna M. Tracy CURRICULUM VITAE Page 4 of 6

2015 Field Work – Settlement plate deployment and acknowledgement [Lord, Joshua and Robert Whitlatch. "Predicting
competitive shifts and responses to climate change based on latitudinal distributions of species assemblages."
Ecology 96.5 (2015): 1264-1274. doi: 10.1890/14-0403.1]
2014 Literature Review – Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. "Climate Disruption & Virginia’s Native Species."
2014 Print Interview – SHORELINES Blog. “From the Field: Two Weeks in Panama.”
2013 Peer Review – Sheffield, Caroline C., Ingrid S. Weiland, and Steven S. Lapham. 2013. "Ducks Ahoy! Plastic
Debris and Ocean Currents." National Council for the Social Studies Publication: Middle Level Learning 46: 1-16.
2013 Field Work – Settlement plate deployment for dissertation project [Lord, J. P. 2014. Effect of Temperature
Changes on Competitive and Predator-Prey Interactions in Coastal Epi-Benthic Communities. University of
Connecticut. Doctoral Dissertations. Paper 461.]
2010 – 2013 Mentor – University of San Diego Undergraduate Marine Science Club
2012 Photography – Ascidian (Molgula ficus and Botrylloides perspicuum) photographs for National Estuarine and
Marine Exotic Species Information System (NEMESIS) database
2012 Mentor – Undergraduate thesis project, The effects of temperature and salinity on growth rates of the invasive
ascidian Botrylloides violaceus in Mission Bay, California
2011 Mentor – Pre-Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE) program project observing colonial ascidian
reattachment and growth pattern

OTHER RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY – Richmond, Virginia October 2014 –

Program Support Specialist May 2015
 Coordination of Promotion and Tenure Committee of faculty members and oversaw the completion of the
application packet for submission to the VCU School of Medicine
 Oversight of VCU New Faculty Recruitment/Hire process which included vetting applicants and organizing
Search Committee meetings, applicant interviews, and site visits
 Demonstrated knowledge of accounting practices and principles, travel guidelines, administrative office
practices, state financial policies and procedures
 Financial and grant management and organization (e.g. utilization of petty cash procedures, inventory
management practices)

Temporary Graduate Programs Coordinator August –

 Served as primary liaison for prospective students seeking information about graduate programs in public October 2014
health
 Processed and maintained graduate program applicant records and alumni and student evaluation results
 Maintained semester course schedules and managed classroom scheduling

UNIV. OF SAN DIEGO OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY – San Diego, California January 2011 –
Graduate Assistant June 2013
 Coordinated and trained students to perform home energy audits & ‘Green Office Certification’ through a
partnership with the University of San Diego, the City of San Diego, and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
 Facilitated in the management of the University of San Diego E-Waste Collection Center – the first e-Waste
collection center on a college campus and ranked #1 in 2013 Recyclemania! campus challenge

UNIV. SOUTH CAROLINA PRESTON RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE – Columbia, South Carolina August 2007 –
Peer Coordinator May 2010

TEACHING AND LECTURING

ELEMENTARY INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE – San Diego, California September 2010 –

Marine Science Instructor December 2011

THE SEAWORLD ORLANDO EDUCATION DEPARTMENT – Orlando, Florida May 2009 –

Education Intern August 2010

OGLEBAY GOOD ZOO – Wheeling, West Virginia May 2007 –

Brianna M. Tracy CURRICULUM VITAE Page 5 of 6

Educator March 2008

RESEARCH CRUISES

R/V ROBERT GORDON SPROUL September 2010

Project: Sedimentary Composition Comparison in the California Continental Borderland and 2011

R/V CAPE HATTERAS May 2008

Project: National Science Foundation Foraminiferal Fidelity

COMPUTER AND SOCIAL MEDIA SKILLS

Social Media: Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter (@SERCInvasions), Instagram (Featured #ScientistInTheField)
Website: HTML + CSS, Wordpress, Blogger, TerminalFour, Google Sites, Wix, Weebly
Statistical: PRIMER v7, PERMANOVA+, SPSS, R
Administrative: Central Desktop, Ellucian Banner Forms (INB), eVA, Chrome River, Christopherson, IBM Lotus, Research
Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), Effort Certification and Reporting Technology (ECRT), Concur® Travel &
Expense
Other: MacOS, Windows, Microsoft Office365 (Teams, SharePoint. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access), ImageJ, Google
Drive, Slack, Zotero

EQUIPMENT, SAMPLING TECHNIQUE, & TAXONOMY EXPERIENCE*

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) Minnow Traps

Algal Culturing Radio Telemetry
Autoclaving (AMSCO, STERIS) Refractometers
Beckman Coulter LS200 Laser Particle Sorter (LPS) Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
Beckman Coulter Multisizer 3 Coulter Counter Secchi Disk
Biopsy Samples for DNA Sediment Traps
Box Corer Settling Plates/Panels
Continuous-Flow Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (CF-IRMS) Tethering
CHN Analyzer Thermo-Jarrell Ash (ICP-OES) 61E Trace Analyzer
Clod Cards Various Nets (Sieve, Gill, Demersal Trawl, Dip)
CTD Rosette YSI 85/Pro2030/ProfessionalPlus
Data Loggers & Software (Onset HOBO, Thermochron iButton) TAXONOMY
Drift Fences Tunicata (Expert)
Ethos EZ Microwave Digestion System Chesapeake Bay Invertebrates (Expert)
Fluorometry Pacific Northwest Bivalvia, Bryozoa, Cirripedia (Expert)
Grain Size Analysis Gulf & Mid-Atlantic Bivalvia, Bryozoa, Cirripedia (Intermediate)
Loss on Ignition (LOI) Chesapeake Bay Fish (Intermediate)
Mark and Recapture General Bryozoa, Cirripedia, Mollusca (Intermediate)
Microscopes (Compound, Dissecting) Algae, Copepoda, Foraminfera (Basic)
*List is not comprehensive.

CERTIFICATIONS AND TRAINING

American Heart Association Infant/Child/Adult CPR

American Heart Association Child/Adult AE
American Heart Association Child/Adult First Aid
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) Boating Safety Education
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Boating Safety Education
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT): Transportation of Hazardous Materials by Ground and Air
International Air Transport Association (IATA): Transportation of Hazardous Materials by Ground and Air
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Researchers
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Wildlife Research
Brianna M. Tracy CURRICULUM VITAE Page 6 of 6

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Working with Fish in Research Settings
Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)