Education

• Doctoral Adademy Fellow, Biology University of Arkansas 2020-2023
• M.S., Biology Jacksonville State University 2018
• B.S., Zoology, Ecology, and Behavior Auburn University 2015

Teaching and Outreach

• Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Arkansas 2020-2023: Principals of Biology, Human Anatomy, Global Change
• Adjunct Lecturer, Jacksonville State University 2018-2019: Intro to Biology II, Human A&P, Ecology Lab (upper level)
• Graduate Teaching Assistant, Jacksonville State University 2015-2018: Intro to Biology I & II, Human A&P I & II, Ecology
• Outreach Volunteer, JSU Field Schools/Little River Canyon 2015-2019: 25+ talks, displays, presentations to public
• NPS Annual BioBlitz Leader,Little River Canyon National Park, AL, 2016-2018
• Outreach Assistant, Alabama Natural Heritage Foundation, 2015

Research

• Graduate Research, 2020-2023
  Phylogenomics and Environmental Niche analysis in the Western Rattlesnake Complex
  Geometric morphometrics of head shape variation in Whiptail lizards
• Field Assistant for Thesis, 2018-2019
  Development of eDNA primers and survey for Necturus in AL waterways
• Undergraduate Research Mentor 2017-2018
  Co-led development of undergraduate research project on snake mouth bacteria, presented at ASB 2018 and ALAPARC 2019
• Field Assistant for Thesis, 2016
  Collection of invasive Apple Snails in AL and survey for trematode and nematode parasite
• Field Assistant for Alabama Natural Heritage Foundation 2016
  Sample collection along Paint Rock River, AL for eDNA survey of Hellbender
• Field Technician for the Alabama Natural Heritage Foundation 2014
  Line-distance transect survey for Gopher Tortoise burrows in Conecuh National Forest and Geneva State Forest
• Undergraduate Research Assistant 2014
  Trapping small herpetofauna and aquatic turtles for long-term population assay and mark-recapture study on Auburn Campus
• Undergraduate Research Assistant 2013
  Protein Synthesis for staphylococcal diseases and production of Green Fluorescent Protein with Tobacco-etch Virus

Publications

• McDaniels, G. M., K. T. McDaniels, G. R. Cline, C. A. Murdock, and J. R. Rayburn. 2020. The phenology of the symbiotic association between Ambystoma maculatum and unicellular algae (Oophila) using molecular techniques. Journal of Herpetology 54(4). https://doi.org/10.1670/19-143
• McDaniels, G. M., K. T. McDaniels, and G. R. Cline. 2020. Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted salamander) Polyembryony. Herpetological Review 51(3).

Oral Presentations

• McDaniels, G. M., K. T. McDaniels, G. R. Cline, C. A. Murdock, and J. R. Rayburn. 2020. Phenology of the symbiotic relationship between Ambystoma maculatum and Oophila amblystomatis using molecular techniques. -American Fisheries Society symposium on eDNA, Little Rock, AR
• McDaniels, G. M., K. T. McDaniels, G. R. Cline, C. A. Murdock, and J. R. Rayburn. 2019. Phenology of the symbiotic relationship between Ambystoma maculatum and Oophila amblystomatis using molecular techniques. -Association of Southeastern Biologists, Memphis, TN

Poster Presentations

• Canturbury, D., S. Elliott, K. T. McDaniels, and G. M. McDaniels. 2019. Preliminary study of culturable bacteria from the mouths of individuals from the family Natricinae in Northern Alabama. -Alabama Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Nauvoo, AL.
• McDaniels, G. M., and G. R. Cline. 2018. Putative effects of recent drought on reproductive ecology of several reptile and amphibian populations in Northeast Alabama. -Southeastern Partners in Amphibian Conservation conference, Helen, GA.
• McDaniels, G. M., and G. R. Cline. 2017. Clutch Data and Hatchling Morphometrics in the Queen Snake, Regina septemvitatta . -Student Symposium, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL.
• McDaniels, G. M., and G. R. Cline. 2016. An eDNA approach to investigating the ecology and timing of the endosymbioticrelationship between the Spotter Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and green algae. -Southeastern Partners in AmphibianConservation, Nauvoo, AL.

Skills

• Lab and Cell Procedures: DNA isolation, eDNA filtration and extraction, media pretp, plate streaking, PCR primer design
• Museum specimen preparation and preservation
• Safe wildlife trapping and handling, including venomous snake certification (Rattlesnake Conservancy 2018)
• Data organization and visualization
• Uni- and multivariate statistics
• Geometric morphometric analysis of shape
• Programming in Unix, R, and Python
• ArcGIS: raster analysis, interpolation, and cartography
• Cluster computing
• Genomic sequence data organization and manipulation

Professional Service and Synergy

• Part of two-person team developing Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) labs for Ecology at JSU
• Served on Biology Department Head search committee & organized graduate student participation at JSU
• Part of two-person team that organized and lobbied graduate teaching assistant contract revision and pay increase with Dean of School of Science at JSU
• Trained new Biology GTAs for JSU Biology Department, 2016 to 2019
• Interviewed by NASA to promote STEM jobs and jobs within National Park Service
• Co-advised undergraduate independent research projects on salamander communities and snake mouth bacterial flora
• Wrote lab exercises and materials for Introduction to Biology Labs

Workshops Attended

• Introduction to SNP Data Analysis via Cyverse: AG2PI
• Geometric morphometrics in R by Cori Black, Southeastern Fishes Council
• Venomous snake handling course lvl 1 certification by the Rattlesnake Conservancy
• Genetic and genomic tools for herpetological conservation, SEPARC
• FrogWatch USA, Auburn Chapter

References

Dr. Chis Murdock | murdock@jsu.edu

Dr. James Rayburn | jrayburn@jsu.edu

Dr. Sarah Wofford | sw22ba@fsu.edu

Dr. Lori Hensley | lhensley@jsu.edu