BA in Microbiology, Cornell University

Originally from Minnesota, I first came out east to study microbiology at Cornell University for my undergraduate degree. My research in the Buckley Lab fell under the department of Soil and Crop Sciences, with a primary interest in soil bacterial ecology. I worked on a variety of projects, but my honors thesis focused on characterizing novel Streptomyces species. The characterization taught me how to use genomics to learn more about microbes and opened my eyes to the exciting discoveries one could make with genomics. While I wanted to study viral pathogens instead of soil bacteria, I knew I wanted to continue using genomic approaches for my studies. I am interested in using genomics to better understand the ecology and evolution of West Nile virus in the Vogels lab. Outside of lab, I’m often picking flowers, losing at kickball, or playing DND – all while listening to pop punk music.