Curriculum Vitae
Janne Akseli Pfeiffenberger
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Current Position
Doctor of Philosophy Candidate, Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under Dr. Tonia Hsieh. 2012-present.
Education
Master of Science, Biology - Marine Biology option, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida. 2010-2012.
Bachelor of Science, Biology with concentration in Marine Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. 2005-2009.
Bachelor of Science, Biology with concentration in Marine Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. 2005-2009.
Publications
Pfeiffenberger, JA and PJ Motta. (2012). The Effects of Intraspecific Competition on the Prey Capture Kinematics and Behavior of Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus. Environmental Biology of Fishes 93 (1):13-21. (DOI: 10.1007/s10641-011-9885-0)
Pfeiffenberger, JA and RG Turingan. (In prep). Effects of prey type on the scaling of prey capture kinematics in the invasive Indo-Pacific Lionfish, Pterois Volitans/Miles complex
Pfeiffenberger, JA and RG Turingan. (In prep). Effects of prey type on the scaling of prey capture kinematics in the invasive Indo-Pacific Lionfish, Pterois Volitans/Miles complex
Abstracts and Presentations
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2016. Feed-forward control strategies enable sideways-running animals to overcome locomotor perturbations.
-Oral presentation at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Portland, Oregon.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2015. Feed-forward control strategies enable sideways-running animals to overcome locomotor perturbations.
-Oral presentation at the Mid-Atlantic Regional meeting for the +Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Divisions of Vertebrate Morphology and Comparative Biomechanics, Newark, New Jersey.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2015. Momentum as a possible mechanism for locomotor stability.
-Oral presentation at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, West Palm Beach, Florida.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2014. Differential impacts of limb loss on locomotor performance in running ghost crabs.
-Poster presentation at the 2014 World Congress of Biomechanics, Boston, Massachusetts.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2014. Autotomy-induced effects on the maximum locomotor performance of ghost crabs in the field.
-Poster presentation at the 2014 Workshop on Locomotion by the NSF-sponsored "Neuromechanics and Dynamics of Locomotion" Research
Coordination Network, Princeton, New Jersey.
-Oral presentation at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, San Francisco, California.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2013. The effects of limb loss on the locomotor performance of Ghost Crabs. Oral presentation at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, San Francisco, California.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and RG Turingan. 2012. The Effects of Prey Type on the Scaling of Prey Capture Kinematics in Invasive Lionfish, Pterois volitans/miles complex.
-Oral presentation at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Florida Academy of Sciences, Tampa, Florida.
-Oral presentation at the 2012 University of Florida Marine Biology Symposium, St.Augustine, Florida.
-Oral presentation at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Charleston, South Carolina.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and PJ Motta. 2011. How does Intraspecific Competition affect Prey Capture Kinematics and Behavior in Florida Populations of Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus? Oral presentation at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Florida Academy of Sciences, Melbourne, Florida.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and PJ Motta. 2011. The Effects of Intraspecific Competition on the Prey Capture Kinematics and Behavior of Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus. Oral presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Mara, KR*, PJ Motta and JA Pfeiffenberger. 2009. Constructional Constraints In Sphyrnid Sharks: Shape Change And Space Utilization Through Phylogeny. Oral presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Boston, Massachusetts.
-Oral presentation at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Portland, Oregon.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2015. Feed-forward control strategies enable sideways-running animals to overcome locomotor perturbations.
-Oral presentation at the Mid-Atlantic Regional meeting for the +Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Divisions of Vertebrate Morphology and Comparative Biomechanics, Newark, New Jersey.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2015. Momentum as a possible mechanism for locomotor stability.
-Oral presentation at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, West Palm Beach, Florida.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2014. Differential impacts of limb loss on locomotor performance in running ghost crabs.
-Poster presentation at the 2014 World Congress of Biomechanics, Boston, Massachusetts.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2014. Autotomy-induced effects on the maximum locomotor performance of ghost crabs in the field.
-Poster presentation at the 2014 Workshop on Locomotion by the NSF-sponsored "Neuromechanics and Dynamics of Locomotion" Research
Coordination Network, Princeton, New Jersey.
-Oral presentation at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, San Francisco, California.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and ST Hsieh. 2013. The effects of limb loss on the locomotor performance of Ghost Crabs. Oral presentation at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, San Francisco, California.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and RG Turingan. 2012. The Effects of Prey Type on the Scaling of Prey Capture Kinematics in Invasive Lionfish, Pterois volitans/miles complex.
-Oral presentation at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Florida Academy of Sciences, Tampa, Florida.
-Oral presentation at the 2012 University of Florida Marine Biology Symposium, St.Augustine, Florida.
-Oral presentation at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Charleston, South Carolina.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and PJ Motta. 2011. How does Intraspecific Competition affect Prey Capture Kinematics and Behavior in Florida Populations of Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus? Oral presentation at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Florida Academy of Sciences, Melbourne, Florida.
Pfeiffenberger, JA* and PJ Motta. 2011. The Effects of Intraspecific Competition on the Prey Capture Kinematics and Behavior of Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus. Oral presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Mara, KR*, PJ Motta and JA Pfeiffenberger. 2009. Constructional Constraints In Sphyrnid Sharks: Shape Change And Space Utilization Through Phylogeny. Oral presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Boston, Massachusetts.
Research Experience
Temple University, Hsieh Laboratory - Biomechanics and Evolutionary Morphology
Summer 2012
Studying the frequency of leg loss in natural populations of ghost crabs, Ocypode quadrata.
Florida Institute of Technology, Fish Ecophysiology and Evolution Laboratory
Fall 2010 - May 2012
Investigating the changes in prey capture behavior, kinematics and modulation through ontogeny in the Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles complex) through high-speed digital videography of prey capture events, dissections of the feeding musculature, morphological measurements and scaling relationships of variables involved in prey capture.
University of South Florida, Functional Morphology Laboratory
Spring 2008 - May 2009
NSF funded Undergraduate Research Assistant to Dr. Philip J. Motta and Dr. Kyle R. Mara, NSF Grant #IOS 0640133, assisting in investigating the form and function of the hammerhead cephalofoil through anatomical modeling of the cranial elements, dissections of the feeding musculature, sensory system mapping, and digital anatomical reconstructions.
Fall 2008 - Spring 2010
Undergraduate research: Investigating the effects of intraspecific competition on the prey capture kinematics and behavior of bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) utilizing high-speed digital videography of prey capture events at different predator densities.
Summer 2012
Studying the frequency of leg loss in natural populations of ghost crabs, Ocypode quadrata.
Florida Institute of Technology, Fish Ecophysiology and Evolution Laboratory
Fall 2010 - May 2012
Investigating the changes in prey capture behavior, kinematics and modulation through ontogeny in the Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles complex) through high-speed digital videography of prey capture events, dissections of the feeding musculature, morphological measurements and scaling relationships of variables involved in prey capture.
University of South Florida, Functional Morphology Laboratory
Spring 2008 - May 2009
NSF funded Undergraduate Research Assistant to Dr. Philip J. Motta and Dr. Kyle R. Mara, NSF Grant #IOS 0640133, assisting in investigating the form and function of the hammerhead cephalofoil through anatomical modeling of the cranial elements, dissections of the feeding musculature, sensory system mapping, and digital anatomical reconstructions.
Fall 2008 - Spring 2010
Undergraduate research: Investigating the effects of intraspecific competition on the prey capture kinematics and behavior of bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) utilizing high-speed digital videography of prey capture events at different predator densities.
Guest Lectures and Invited Talks
4/29/2016 - Invited talk at the University of Pennsylvania for the Philadelphia Evolution Group.
Title: "Evolution of limb loss and it’s effects on the locomotor performance in ghost crabs".
4/8/2016 - Invited talk at McDaniel College, Westminster, Maryland for the Biology Department.
Title: "Limb loss and slippery surfaces: Effects of perturbations on the locomotor performance of the Atlantic ghost crab".
10/17/2015 - Guest lecture at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA for the Comparative Biomechanics class on levers.
11/29/2011 - Guest lecture at Vero Beach High School, Vero Beach, Florida. Audience: Environmental Science AP class.
Title: “Invasive Species – Coming to a town near you” in collaboration with M. Buckley.
12/01/2011 - Guest lecture at Satellite Beach Recreational Center. Audience: Satellite Beach Marine Biology Club (Ages: 8-11).
Title: “Marine Invaders: The Lionfish”.
Title: "Evolution of limb loss and it’s effects on the locomotor performance in ghost crabs".
4/8/2016 - Invited talk at McDaniel College, Westminster, Maryland for the Biology Department.
Title: "Limb loss and slippery surfaces: Effects of perturbations on the locomotor performance of the Atlantic ghost crab".
10/17/2015 - Guest lecture at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA for the Comparative Biomechanics class on levers.
11/29/2011 - Guest lecture at Vero Beach High School, Vero Beach, Florida. Audience: Environmental Science AP class.
Title: “Invasive Species – Coming to a town near you” in collaboration with M. Buckley.
12/01/2011 - Guest lecture at Satellite Beach Recreational Center. Audience: Satellite Beach Marine Biology Club (Ages: 8-11).
Title: “Marine Invaders: The Lionfish”.
Professional Experience
Reviewer for Environmental Biology of Fishes
Fall 2013
Executive board member (Vice President), Biology Graduate Student Society (BGSS), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
August 2012 - December 2013
Teaching Assistant for:
Fall 2012: BIO 1011 - Introductory Biology
Spring 2012: BIO 1012 - Introductory Biology II
Fall 2013: BIO 1011 - Introductory Biology
July 2010 - July 2011; July 2011 - May 2012
National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellow, Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Program (InSTEP) at Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida.
2010-2011: Bayside High School, Palm Bay, Florida. AP Chemistry and Honors Chemistry.
2011-2012: West Melbourne School for Science, West Melbourne, Florida. Integrated Science.
March 2011 - May 2012
Executive board member Biology Graduate Student Association (BGSA), Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida.
February 2010 - June 2011
Assistant Scientist, Terra Environmental Services Inc., St.Petersburg, Florida.
January 2008 - May 2009
Undergraduate Research Assistant (NSF REU), National Science Foundation Grant #IOS 0640133, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
Fall 2013
Executive board member (Vice President), Biology Graduate Student Society (BGSS), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
August 2012 - December 2013
Teaching Assistant for:
Fall 2012: BIO 1011 - Introductory Biology
Spring 2012: BIO 1012 - Introductory Biology II
Fall 2013: BIO 1011 - Introductory Biology
July 2010 - July 2011; July 2011 - May 2012
National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellow, Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Program (InSTEP) at Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida.
2010-2011: Bayside High School, Palm Bay, Florida. AP Chemistry and Honors Chemistry.
2011-2012: West Melbourne School for Science, West Melbourne, Florida. Integrated Science.
March 2011 - May 2012
Executive board member Biology Graduate Student Association (BGSA), Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida.
February 2010 - June 2011
Assistant Scientist, Terra Environmental Services Inc., St.Petersburg, Florida.
January 2008 - May 2009
Undergraduate Research Assistant (NSF REU), National Science Foundation Grant #IOS 0640133, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
Honors and Awards
2011
National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellowship. Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Program (InSTEP) at Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida. $30,000
3rd place, Undergraduate Award for Scholarly and Creative Excellence, University of South Florida.
Executive board member (Treasurer), Biology Graduate Student Association (BGSA), Florida Institute of Technology.
Graduate Student Travel Award. Florida Institute of Technology. $125
2010
National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellowship. Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Program (InSTEP) at Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida. $30,000
2009
Graduate Student Travel Award. University of South Florida. $250
2008
National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF REU), Research Assistant under NSF Grant# IOS 0640133, University of South Florida
National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellowship. Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Program (InSTEP) at Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida. $30,000
3rd place, Undergraduate Award for Scholarly and Creative Excellence, University of South Florida.
Executive board member (Treasurer), Biology Graduate Student Association (BGSA), Florida Institute of Technology.
Graduate Student Travel Award. Florida Institute of Technology. $125
2010
National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellowship. Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Program (InSTEP) at Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida. $30,000
2009
Graduate Student Travel Award. University of South Florida. $250
2008
National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF REU), Research Assistant under NSF Grant# IOS 0640133, University of South Florida
Teaching Experience
2011 - 2012
NSF GK-12 Fellow, Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Program (InSTEP) at Florida Institute of Technology.
West Melbourne School for Science: Integrated Science.
2010 - 2011
NSF GK-12 Fellow, Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Program (InSTEP) at Florida Institute of Technology.
Bayside High School: AP and Honors Chemistry.
NSF GK-12 Fellow, Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Program (InSTEP) at Florida Institute of Technology.
West Melbourne School for Science: Integrated Science.
2010 - 2011
NSF GK-12 Fellow, Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Program (InSTEP) at Florida Institute of Technology.
Bayside High School: AP and Honors Chemistry.
Professional Societies
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) since 2009
Relevant Skills
High-speed videography
Micro computed tomography imaging
3D Imaging 3D Modeling and Printing
3D Reconstruction
Electromyography
Anatomical dissections
Clearing and staining
3D Geometric Morphometrics
Field work experience
Animal trapping
Small animal husbandry (Reptile and Marine/Freshwater Fishes)
Seining (both freshwater and marine)
Long lining
Machine shop training
Matlab, Python, and R-software
Micro computed tomography imaging
3D Imaging 3D Modeling and Printing
3D Reconstruction
Electromyography
Anatomical dissections
Clearing and staining
3D Geometric Morphometrics
Field work experience
Animal trapping
Small animal husbandry (Reptile and Marine/Freshwater Fishes)
Seining (both freshwater and marine)
Long lining
Machine shop training
Matlab, Python, and R-software