About Me - extended (07/19/2024)

I began my about me and realized it's way too long and doesn't exactly get to the point, so I will post my word vomit here. Also see another upcoming post with my personal statement (generic) to get to know more about me and my journey to science.

Growing up, I had no idea that being a scientist was a career possibility, yet I had always had an innate curiosity and deep connection to the natural world that governed much of my interests. As I got to choose my courses in my undergrad, these interests developed further and I had been exposed to new things that I'd never known previously existed, and it absolutely changed my world view. Having began my undergraduate degree in 2020, it was challenging to get a foothold in research, but in 2023 I joined the Puritz Lab of Evolutionary Ecology at the University of Rhode Island as an undergraduate researcher, and that completely revolutionized my understanding of science and how it is applicable to me. Currently, I am a member of the Louisiana Graduate Network in Applied Evolution, where I will be embarking upon independent research for the next year (2024-2025). Following that, I am planning on getting my PhD, and then from there, I don't know!

In a broader, more ideological sense, my ultimate goal would be to provide the public, especially underrepresented populations in STEM fields, with the knowledge they need to understand the scientific process and the fundamentals of science in addition to being able to understand new science news and scientific data. I want to make others feel empowered in their ability to make decisions regarding science that affect them and their community, and having the actual social capital and confidence to do so. I also want to empower these groups to understand that a career in science or even more broadly, STEM, is accessible to them, while also actually producing the social change that makes that true. Additionally, I would like to perform my own research that explores the effects of anthropogenic climate change on evolutionary ecology, specifically research that would inform state and federal legislature regarding regulatory measures and affect conservation efforts. I feel as though I would be best able to achieve these goals in a position as an extension specialist, as I would like to work with a broader community than just school or college aged children. Though being a PI may enable me to fulfill these goals as well, I would prefer to take a more active role in interacting with the community and extending science to individuals who do not already exist within those spaces. Aside from being an extension specialist, I believe another possible career choice that I would enjoy is working within a governmental agency (i.e. NOAA, EPA, USDA, USFWS) as a biological researcher and compiling meaningful data that affects legislature and serves as a knowledge base for the public, although I understand this role also comes with its own challenges and obstacles. Perhaps there are other roles that I would really enjoy settling into long-term, but as I gain more experience within science and academia, that will likely further shape my decision and the choices available to me, although those core values and goals will likely still always be important to me. 

My research interests are incredibly varied and thus far undeveloped due to my current lack of many research experiences, but broadly, I am interested in anthropogenic stressors and their effects upon evolutionary ecology. I have experience researching how diel-cycled coastal acidification and low dissolved oxygen affect natural selection and microevolution within various populations of Crassostrea virginica across multiple life stages. I also have experience aiding in multiple disease challenges on larval oysters and juvenile oysters with Vibrio coralliilyticus and Roseovarius crassostreae, respectively. Moving forward, I am interested in gaining more experience with environmental microbiology, microbial ecology and evolution, and phytoplankton ecology, especially with respect to anthropogenic stressors. I am also interested in the inhibitory effects of various types of macroalgae upon phytoplankton species responsible for harmful algal blooms, and the application of this information in an aquaculture setting. However, I am also excited to further explore my research interests and I’m excited to see where my experience in the Louisiana Graduate Network in Applied Evolution (LAGNiAppE) leads me!

Aside from my interests in science, I also really enjoy just going for walks outside, taking pictures of trees and animals, swimming in the ocean, watching sunsets and, when I'm not feeling lazy, seeing the sunrise, and I love cats and truthfully all animals. I also love(d) running, but right now I am pretty far from being in shape enough to where I find running to be enjoyable and not painful, and I prefer running outside, especially in crisp morning or fall weather, so moving to Louisiana wasn't super conducive to jump starting my running career again. I also love painting, reading, drawing, and producing art, as well as doing my makeup (very maximialist makeup is my niche because it takes an art form). If I wasn't a scientist, I would probably be a veterinarian or a tattoo artist, or truthfully perhaps a teacher. My favorite foods are pickles (+ pickle juice), sweet potatoes, sunny side up eggs, cinnamon raisin bread, indian food of all sorts, all mexican food, a good juicy peach or plum, crisp watermelon, and dark chocolate, and more recently, key lime pie. I also just got into v8 energy drinks thanks to my roommate, and I just ordered the limited edition watermelon flavor so I am excited to try that when it comes in (I think tomorrow).