May 9, 2018 4:39 PM EDT
I was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, a land of extremes. Temperatures could drop below -50ᵒ Fahrenheit in the winter and the darkness would seem to stretch out endlessly, while the summers provided radiant sunshine for months that infused a sense of magic into our town. Certainly, for me, the most charmed experiences from my childhood all happened in the Alaskan wilderness. Read more >
January 26, 2017 3:39 PM EDT
Those who knew me prior to age of 17 probably anticipated I’d become a scientist. I held all the stereotypical personality traits of being weird, antisocial, and a tad eccentric back then. With my hombre highlights and loud persona, few new people I casually encounter today at, say, the grocery store suspect I enjoy spending at least eight hours examining microbial sequence data, synthesizing predictive models, and writing grant applications. It’s meditative. And though I’ve become a go-to socialite in my circles, I still wouldn’t label myself as an extrovert. To me I’m simply doing my job, being open and approachable to promote information accessibility.
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August 8, 2016 4:37 PM EDT
When I first moved to the Sonoran Desert to pursue my doctoral degree I expected to find seas of sand and rocks, sparsely populated by tumbleweeds fighting for survival in the brutal spotlight that is the hot desert sun. Instead, I was met by an abundance of life, especially small plants, covering the desert floor and likening it to a golf green. This unexpected experience led me to ponder the strategies these plants employ to survive and even thrive in the dry, unpredictable desert environment. Read more >
February 20, 2014 3:09 PM EDT
When I was eleven, I would diligently watch The Weather Channel’s “Tropical Update” and carefully track movements of tropical storms. This segment had a cult following—me. Visiting my relatives one summer, they found it odd that I preferred The Weather Channel over cartoons on a Saturday morning. Read more >
