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Les K.

Les K.

Chittenden County, VT
Job Success

Educator, researcher, advocate, professional

I am a geologist who received a Ph.D. in the Earth Sciences from the University of Cambridge, England, as a Fulbright Scholar, and have taught at university since 1988. Now, I turn my attention to helping individuals and organizations reach their goals, while continuing to work on disability issues and concerns related to the climate crisis. Contact me for assistance with grant identification, grant writing, document handling and editing, presentation development, and web design (see more detail below). I look forward to working with clients who are responsive, provide direction, and are as dedicated to the project as I will be. My experience, attention to detail, and compassion for others, makes me the right person to help you succeed. My goal is, and always has been, to use my skills in order to help others succeed. I look forward to discussing this position with you in more detail. GRANTSMANSHIP One of the many highly-successful gratifications I found during my academic career is writing grant proposals – it is very satisfying to be given money in support of one’s ideas. Successful grant proposals are closely aligned with the priorities of the funding agency and use clear and concise writing that addresses the need for support. Well-written, data-driven, passionate proposals have a greater chance of being funded. Successful grant proposals must communicate the problem with enough depth to describe its significance, yet in terms that reviewers with a variety of backgrounds can understand and appreciate both the importance and significance of the proposed work. For the past thirty years I have been the grants person at the university because the institution does not have a sponsored research office. It started out of necessity, but it evolved into a passionate pursuit. I have been the principal investigator (or co-principal investigator) on many proposals, received millions of dollars of support from the National Science Foundation and other entities, and have edited numerous proposals written for the National Institutes of Health (primarily the R15 activity code). I received many non-academic grants for our local fire department (bringing in approximately $500,000) because I am able to describe the need in language understood by the reviewers. Our local fire department no longer conducts coin drops or bake sales. I served on three review panels for the National Science Foundation, and for the past three years serve as a peer reviewer for the Department of Defense US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. EDITING, DOCUMENT HANDLING, AND PRESENTATION DEVELOPMENT I am well versed with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Adobe products (Acrobat Pro, Illustrator, and Photoshop). For many years I have been teaching others how to appropriately use and be efficient with the software in order to create clear and informative presentations, documents, figures, and graphs. I have written, or edited, manuscripts, grant proposals, student work, and academic dissertations. In March 2021, I was rated in the top 5% (out of 3.3 million people) who took the PowerPoint Skills Assessment though LinkedIn, and prefer the Assertion-Evidence Structure for presentation slides. I have basic skills with LaTex (using TeXstudio and Overleaf for collaborative editing), and can readily convert a wide variety of files to appropriate formats. WEB DESIGN I am proficient with HTML, CSS, and WordPress. The websites I create, and edit, are used for teaching and for business. DISABILITY ISSUES As the world around us continues to change, due to short term political situations, and longer term climatic issues, people in marginalized communities need additional supports to maintain equity. I work with individuals from many demographics and intellectual backgrounds. Everyone has complex issues and extraordinarily diverse and compelling personal stories. Opportunities can and should be developed to help people rise above their current situation. Nineteen years ago, my son was born with full mutation Fragile X Syndrome. This medical condition is the leading cause of inherited cognitive delay and the only known medical cause of autism. As a parent of a child who has an intellectual disability, and as a disability advocate on local, state and national platforms, I learned how to help our son and others with special needs, get the supports they need. One’s demographic characteristics, or individual disability, should not preclude them from living a full life, filled with hope and satisfaction. As social services and ecosystem services evolve, we too must adopt appropriate policies and procedures.
Aug 29, 2021 - Oct 6, 2021

No feedback given

Private earnings
Aug 14, 2021 - Oct 6, 2021

No feedback given

Private earnings
Rating is 5 out of 5.
5.00 Jul 21, 2021

"Very knowledgeable about Powerpoint Accessible, patient, and efficient. Job was done in one hour!"

Private earnings
Rating is 5 out of 5.
5.00 Jun 15, 2021 - Jul 12, 2021

"Les did an outstanding job. He prepared extensively and delivered exactly what we had been hoping for and more. He is a real professional. Knows presentation best practices and technical use of PPT inside out. Left a lot of great materials with our team. Very happy with the outcome."

Private earnings
May 5, 2021 - Jul 12, 2021

No feedback given

Private earnings
May 5, 2021 - Jul 12, 2021

No feedback given

Private earnings

Portfolio

PowerPoint should not be used as a teleprompter. Slide backgrounds should be simple and clear. Animations should be limited and subtle. The Assertion-Evidence structure should be employed to ensure the main points are conveyed. Download and view the attached file.
A primer on PowerPoint, the Assertion-Evidence model, and animations.
The purpose of this project was to submit a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation to request support for academically talented students in financial need. Some of the ideas presented in the proposal were developed in consultation with others, yet the writing, research, and details are my own. As of October 2020, the status of this request is still pending.
Grant proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation
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Skills

Les K.

Les K.

Chittenden County, VT
Job Success
12
Total Jobs
64
Total Hours

View profile

Educator, researcher, advocate, professional

Specializes in
I am a geologist who received a Ph.D. in the Earth Sciences from the University of Cambridge, England, as a Fulbright Scholar, and have taught at university since 1988. Now, I turn my attention to helping individuals and organizations reach their goals, while continuing to work on disability issues and concerns related to the climate crisis. Contact me for assistance with grant identification, grant writing, document handling and editing, presentation development, and web design (see more detail below). I look forward to working with clients who are responsive, provide direction, and are as dedicated to the project as I will be. My experience, attention to detail, and compassion for others, makes me the right person to help you succeed. My goal is, and always has been, to use my skills in order to help others succeed. I look forward to discussing this position with you in more detail. GRANTSMANSHIP One of the many highly-successful gratifications I found during my academic career is writing grant proposals – it is very satisfying to be given money in support of one’s ideas. Successful grant proposals are closely aligned with the priorities of the funding agency and use clear and concise writing that addresses the need for support. Well-written, data-driven, passionate proposals have a greater chance of being funded. Successful grant proposals must communicate the problem with enough depth to describe its significance, yet in terms that reviewers with a variety of backgrounds can understand and appreciate both the importance and significance of the proposed work. For the past thirty years I have been the grants person at the university because the institution does not have a sponsored research office. It started out of necessity, but it evolved into a passionate pursuit. I have been the principal investigator (or co-principal investigator) on many proposals, received millions of dollars of support from the National Science Foundation and other entities, and have edited numerous proposals written for the National Institutes of Health (primarily the R15 activity code). I received many non-academic grants for our local fire department (bringing in approximately $500,000) because I am able to describe the need in language understood by the reviewers. Our local fire department no longer conducts coin drops or bake sales. I served on three review panels for the National Science Foundation, and for the past three years serve as a peer reviewer for the Department of Defense US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. EDITING, DOCUMENT HANDLING, AND PRESENTATION DEVELOPMENT I am well versed with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Adobe products (Acrobat Pro, Illustrator, and Photoshop). For many years I have been teaching others how to appropriately use and be efficient with the software in order to create clear and informative presentations, documents, figures, and graphs. I have written, or edited, manuscripts, grant proposals, student work, and academic dissertations. In March 2021, I was rated in the top 5% (out of 3.3 million people) who took the PowerPoint Skills Assessment though LinkedIn, and prefer the Assertion-Evidence Structure for presentation slides. I have basic skills with LaTex (using TeXstudio and Overleaf for collaborative editing), and can readily convert a wide variety of files to appropriate formats. WEB DESIGN I am proficient with HTML, CSS, and WordPress. The websites I create, and edit, are used for teaching and for business. DISABILITY ISSUES As the world around us continues to change, due to short term political situations, and longer term climatic issues, people in marginalized communities need additional supports to maintain equity. I work with individuals from many demographics and intellectual backgrounds. Everyone has complex issues and extraordinarily diverse and compelling personal stories. Opportunities can and should be developed to help people rise above their current situation. Nineteen years ago, my son was born with full mutation Fragile X Syndrome. This medical condition is the leading cause of inherited cognitive delay and the only known medical cause of autism. As a parent of a child who has an intellectual disability, and as a disability advocate on local, state and national platforms, I learned how to help our son and others with special needs, get the supports they need. One’s demographic characteristics, or individual disability, should not preclude them from living a full life, filled with hope and satisfaction. As social services and ecosystem services evolve, we too must adopt appropriate policies and procedures.
Aug 29, 2021 - Oct 6, 2021

No feedback given

Private earnings
Aug 14, 2021 - Oct 6, 2021

No feedback given

Private earnings
Rating is 5 out of 5.
5.00 Jul 21, 2021

"Very knowledgeable about Powerpoint Accessible, patient, and efficient. Job was done in one hour!"

Private earnings
Rating is 5 out of 5.
5.00 Jun 15, 2021 - Jul 12, 2021

"Les did an outstanding job. He prepared extensively and delivered exactly what we had been hoping for and more. He is a real professional. Knows presentation best practices and technical use of PPT inside out. Left a lot of great materials with our team. Very happy with the outcome."

Private earnings
May 5, 2021 - Jul 12, 2021

No feedback given

Private earnings
May 5, 2021 - Jul 12, 2021

No feedback given

Private earnings

Portfolio

PowerPoint should not be used as a teleprompter. Slide backgrounds should be simple and clear. Animations should be limited and subtle. The Assertion-Evidence structure should be employed to ensure the main points are conveyed. Download and view the attached file.
A primer on PowerPoint, the Assertion-Evidence model, and animations.
The purpose of this project was to submit a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation to request support for academically talented students in financial need. Some of the ideas presented in the proposal were developed in consultation with others, yet the writing, research, and details are my own. As of October 2020, the status of this request is still pending.
Grant proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation
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Skills

More than 30 hrs/week

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