Taylor (Tori) Kang

Los Angeles, CA • (310) 717-7301 • Toriakang@gmail.com

Education
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) September 2020
BS Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution • English Minor
GPA: 3.91
Major GPA: 3.97
Received Highest Departmental Honors in EEB
Graduated Magna Cum Laude

University of Southern California (USC) August 2016 – May 2017

Left with GPA of 3.92 to pursue ecology

Santa Monica College June 2016

AA in Liberal Arts with high honors

California High School Proficiency May 2014

Received at age 15 in lieu of highschool diploma to begin college early

Skills

Field Ecology: Advanced bird identification by eye and ear, basic plant ID skills,
habitat restoration, nest searching, color band resighting, blood
smears, Lizard noosing, attention to detail in data collection and
verification

Bird Banding: 400+ birds extracted from mist nets over five years; color banding,
banding nestlings; blood, feather and cloacal swab sample
collection

Communication: Naturalist interpretation and tour skills, group organization and

trip planning, writing ability developed during English minor

Software: RStudio, ImageJ, JMP Statistical Software, and ArcGIS; Microsoft

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; Adobe suite including Illustrator,
Photoshop and InDesign

Field and Research Experience

Bear Divide Bird Observatory

Bird Bander March 2022 – May 2022
• Lone Mist net set up and take down
• Extracted and processed (?)+ birds from various families, mainly passerines
• Collected feather samples
• Used molt limits and other traits to micro-age birds
• Provided information and presented birds to the many visitors of the public station
Yeh Lab, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, UCLA
Research Assistant January 2018 - Present
• Collected data in the field through nest searching, nest monitoring, and resighting color bands
• Performed target mist-netting in an urban setting as a Subpermitee under Dr. Pamela Yeh’s Federal
bird banding and marking permit #23809-E
• Extracted 100+ adult birds from mist nets
• Color banded and processed Dark-eyed Junco adults and nestlings
• Sampled blood from the brachial vein and took cloacal swabs from adults and nestlings
• Instructed new ~10 undergrads in mist netting and banding of birds
• Will be a co-author on 2-3 publications from graduate student mentors
Senior Thesis - EE BIOL 198A-C December 2019 – September 2021
• Developed original research project
• Measured white patch dimensions of rectrices in over 200 birds with ImageJ
• Organized data in Excel and analyzed data in RStudio
• Submitted grant proposals and received funds from the Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society
• Preparing first-author manuscript for publication (will be submitted 2022) under guidance of Dr.
Pamela Yeh

Zuma Canyon Bird Banding Station

Bird Bander June 2016 – April 2019
• Set up, took down, and untangled mist nets
• Extracted and processed 250+ birds including passerines, corvids, and woodpeckers
• Collected feather samples, skulled for age, and compared to the Pyle guide
• Skinned dead birds for museum collection

USC Spatial Science Institute/ Jane Goodall Research Center

Paid Lab Assistant November 2016 – March 2018
• Analyzed tracking data on endangered Madagascan tortoises using RStudio, Excel and ArcGIS
• Organized and verified over 5000 lines of data using original datasheets in the Malagasy language

LA Natural History Museum Herpetology Department

Volunteer Lab Assistant December 2016 – August 2017
• Extracted stomach contents, took DNA samples, and recorded data on invasive coqui frogs
• Collected wild specimens and processed them for museum collection
• Conducted scale counts on preserved lizards and snakes

Grants

Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society

Awarded $550 for my Senior Thesis work July 2020

Field Based Coursework

UC Natural Reserve System: California Ecology and Conservation Fall 2019

• Developed several research projects working closely in small teams at remote field sites
• Collected field data on avian mixed flock dynamics in the redwood forest, the relationship between
lizard scale density and elevation in the San Jacinto Mountains, and Odonate distribution across an
urban gradient in the Colorado Desert
• Used JMP statistical software to analyze data
• Assisted with camp set up/take down and meal preparation for around 30 people
Methods in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography Summer 2017
• Conducted research projects at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island
• Performed Winkler titrations, determined seawater DIC levels, launched Niskin bottles and
analyzed CTD rosette data for projects relating to kelp disappearance and conservation
• Incubated kelp in the lab under varying nutrient and temperature conditions

Teaching, Outreach & Other Experience

UCLA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology - EEB 185 Evolutionary Medicine

Teaching Assistant March 2021 – June 2021/March 2022 – Present
• Led undergraduate discussion sections teaching evolutionary concepts and their applicability to
human and veterinary medicine
• Taught difficult subject matter regarding biases in medicine, e.g. the nonexistence of biological race
and its contribution to oppression, as the course fulfills the university’s diversity requirement
• Guided students through the reading of scientific papers
• Graded free response exam questions and student presentations
• Held weekly office hours answering questions and providing further explanation of lecture and
textbook material for students

Bruin Audubon Society and Birding Club

Board Member • Field Trip Committee November 2019 – June 2020
• Planned and lead birding trips for undergrads, graduate students and faculty of UCLA
• Assisted members new to birding in spotting and identifying birds

Bruin Herpetology Society

Vice President January 2018 – June 2020
• Scheduled and presented at club meetings held every other week
• Corresponded with speakers to give lectures on herpetology and working in evolutionary biology
• Organized excursions, including two camping trips, to observe reptiles and amphibians in their
native habitats

LA Audubon Education Program – Kenneth Hahn

Intern September 2017 – May 2018
• Provided naturalist interpretation for 6th grade school field trips and other visitors
• Explained and answered questions on plate tectonics, weather systems, and chaparral ecology
• Worked with other interns and volunteers to set up teaching stations

LA Audubon Education - Ballona Wetlands

Volunteer Docent September 2015 – June 2017
• Lead visitor and field trip groups through the Ballona wetlands providing naturalist interpretation
• Set up and instructed on the use of microscopes, spotting scopes, and binoculars