Anthropologist Resume
Jennifer Bedford
Ada Street Apt. B
Boise, Idaho
Phone:
Specialties: I am a trained anthropologist practitioner, with skills in a wide range of research techniques. I have experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research and analysis; conducting social analysis; and have presented and written in-depth evaluation reports. Research experience includes, survey design and coordination; data management and processing; qualitative and quantitative study design and analysis; including a working knowledge of such social research software as, Atlas Ti and SPSS.
I have an interest in working with governmental, private, or nonprofit organizations and believe that by using contemporary anthropological methods, to research and evaluate the reasons behind difficulties in coordination/communications, it may then be possible to find a middle ground upon which agencies and cultures/communities can build mutually beneficial relations.
EDUCATION
B.A. (Cultural Anthropology), Boise State University,
M.S. (Applied Anthropology), University of North Texas,
Master’s Practicum: Community Assessment Mansfield Texas: Disaster Preparedness
& Community Interest in a CERT Program.
EXPERIENCE
Principal Investigator: (-) Community Assessment Mansfield Texas: Disaster Preparedness & Community Interest in a CERT Program. The principal goal of this project is to find out how prepared Mansfield residents are in the event of a disaster, along with whether residents would be interested in participating in a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). My duties included researching current literature, creation of study and survey materials, implementation and collection of quantitative research via Internet and phone survey, implementation and collection of qualitative research via community visits and random informal one-on-one interviews. I was responsible for all data collection, analyses, and production of final report.
Co-Investigator: (Spring ) North Central Texas College: Organizational Culture Study. This study looked at how NCTC functions as an organization, how it is structured, how those who work there or go to school there see its “culture” and what they see for its future. The study benefits NCTC by offering suggestions for ways to improve the quality of student, faculty, and staff experiences at NCTC. Conducted, random selection, qualitative interviews with NCTC students, transcription, and sectional write-up of final report.
Co-Investigator/Data Manger: (Fall ) Simulation: Firewise Assessment, North Texas Community. Assess wildland fire vulnerability due to Urban Wildland Interface (UWI). I was responsible for the following duties on this project; sort, compile, analyze, and present findings of data accumulated and submitted by co-investigators. Data was gathered through onsite investigation assessing topography, fuel loads, vulnerabilities and hazards both natural and man-made. Photographs, satellite imagery, documentation of current and past weather patterns, trends and events, along with in-depth analysis of and comparisons to current Firewise community practices, culminated into a formal presentation of recommendations for a safer more ‘Firewise’ community.
Co-Investigator: (Spring ) Denton County Community Knowledge of Palliative Care Study. Community Assessment of End of Life Care in Denton Texas, for local client. Contact and interview Denton residents in order to better understand current attitudes and trends towards end of life care. I was responsible for the collection of qualitative data, conducting informal one-on-one interviews, along with acting as moderator for one focus group. Study culminated in a written report and formal presentation to the client (area palliative hospital).
Research Assistant: ( – ) While at the University of North Texas, I worked as Ethnic Studies Research Assistant to Assistant Professor Dr. Mariela Nuñez-Janes in the Department of Anthropology. I researched the various Ethnic Studies departments in the U.S., coordinated event scheduling, assisted in the development of a new Ethnic Studies Minor website, produced brochures for the Ethnic Studies minor and one Affirmative Action symposium event, presided over guest and student check in point for symposium, presided over new student orientation information booth for Ethnic Studies minor, general clerical duties and errand running.
Assistant Fire Dispatcher EDSD: (Summer ) Bureau of Land Management, Salem, Oregon. Duties: Dispatch, arrange travel, and supply, personnel as needed to wildland and prescribed fires. Maintain, monitor, and facilitate radio contact between BLM and county law enforcement, recreational areas, and personnel in the field. Provide support to district office staff as needed. Also held position of Duty Officer-on call twenty-four hours a day, during two week periods; in case of fire, accident, or law enforcement emergencies. Also detailed in Prineville, Oregon. Duties included flight following and necessary diversion of recon and air retardant flights, the dispatch of jumper and helicopter crews and other IA dispatch duties.
Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher- (Trainee), Expanded Dispatch Recorder: (Summer – Summer ) Bureau of Land Management National Interagency Coordination Center National Interagency Fire Center, Boise, Idaho. Duties: Take, process, and fill; radio, engine, national shower and caterer contracts, and overhead resource orders. Communicate with Geographical Area Coordination Center’s/GACC’s, Great Basin Cache/GBK, National Interagency Radio Supply Cache/NIRSC and National Interagency Fire Center/NIFC Aircraft ramp, determine shipping plan for radio orders--ground, air-charter, etc. Also held, was position of Flight Follow, whose duties consisted of tracking various aircraft such as, helicopters, small and large fixed-winged aircraft, and commercial crew and supply transport en-route between various wildland fires and incidents throughout the United States. This position necessitated the ability to communicate with pilots, GACC’s, vendors, chase vehicles and loadmasters using National Flight Following Standards, so as to know of the safety, whereabouts, and the expected time of resource arrival at incident. General duties included, documentation of all fire related phone conversations and fire resource locations in case log to provide a sequential historic record for the involved agencies, investigators or in legal matters. Enter data into Excel spreadsheet and expanded database. General clerical duties included answering multiple line telephone system, faxing, filing, data entry, etc. This job required one to be multi-task oriented and to have the ability to communicate and get along well with others.
Park Aide/Bookkeeper: (Summer – Summer ) Idaho State Parks and Recreation Sandy Point and Discovery Units/Spring Shores Marina, Boise, Idaho. Greet guest upon entering park, fee collection, answer phones, cash handling, contact guests and process reservations. Bookkeeping for the Marina and Sandy Point/Discovery Units included counting fees from all units, processing bank deposits, and transmittals. Also responsible for the unsupervised transfer of large amounts of currency between the park units. Further duties included posthole digging for park signs, use of off road vehicle to maintain beaches, ability to drive company vehicle/truck, trash/restroom clean up, and general park maintenance. Certified CPR/first aid and knowledge of handheld radios necessary.
Research Assistant: ( – ) While at Boise State University I was Research Assistant to Dr. Robert McCarl in the Department of Anthropology. I compiled and processed data for Boise State’s Wildland Firefighting archive. I also contacted and conducted interviews with various subjects, scribed notes, and transcribed and logged both video and audiotapes.
Co-Investigator: (Spring ) Applied Anthropology Collaborative Orchard Project, Emmett, Idaho. My duties were to contact and interview local orchard owner/operators and local community members, accumulate data on past and present business and growing practices, and cross-reference the impacts of various outside influences upon the ability of Emmett orchards to make profits. The results of this class project were compiled into brochure form and then distributed throughout the community, in order to inform and educate the public of ways of supporting their local food growers.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Assistant in the filming of the Women Smokejumper’s Twenty-Year Reunion. Duties included set up and break down of camera and sound equipment, wiring guest speakers for audio, communications with lecturers and guests about future interviews and/or further contact and general errand running.
Cultural Immersion. Three months of camping and cultural emersion throughout Baja California, Mexico. Travel consisted of visiting small communities and remote areas, becoming familiar with the country, its people, and their traditions.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Volunteer: Disaster Simulation, WMD\'s. Denton, TX. (/)
Volunteer: NAPA (National Association for the Practice of Anthropology) Booth. SFAA (Society for Applied Anthropology) conference, Santa Fe, NM. (/)
Volunteer: Anthropology Club Booth, Earth Day Fair, Boise, ID. (/)
Volunteer: Anthropology Club Booth, Earth Day Fair, Boise, ID. (/)
Volunteer: Boise River Cleanup, Earth Day Fair, Boise, ID. (/)
AWARDS & GRANTS
April : $. Travel Grant. College of Public Affairs & Community Service, University of North Texas.
February : “Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Research.” College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs, Boise State University.
PRESENTATIONS
Co-Presenter: Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science Forum, October . Dr\'s Doug and Lisa Henry. \"Modification or Mutilation? An Anthropological Perspective on Changing the Body.\" This forum addressed cultural perceptions of body modification, showing comparisons between American cultures and others; revealing that some practices are not as foreign as they may seem.
Presenter: SSPA Undergraduate Research Conference, Twenty-Years of Women in Smokejumping, February . Poster presentation consisted of research findings on the history and culture behind twenty-years of women in wildland firefighting, specifically focusing on smokejumping.
LANGUAGES RESEARCH COMPETENCIES
English: Fluent Survey Design and
Spanish: Elementary Administration
Swahili: Basic Interviewing,
Ethnographic Analysis
COMPUTER SKILLS
SSPS, Atlas Ti, Windows,
Excel, Word, Power Point,
Quicken, Quick Books, Touchstone
REFERENCES
Tom Legler
Emergency Management Coordinator
City of Mansfield
Mansfield, TX.
Dave Hendren
Emergency Operations Coordinator
National Interagency Coordination Center/NIFC
Boise, ID.
James Kendra
Department of Public Administration
University of North Texas
Denton, TX.
Douglas Henry
Department of Anthropology
University of North Texas
Denton, TX.
Dr. Robert McCarl
Department of Anthropology
Boise State University
Boise, ID.
