If you could go back in time...

If you could go bacj in time, what advice would you give your "freshman self", or your first day at ASU?

If I could go back in time I would remind myself to breathe. Learning takes time. Some subjects will require more energy than others. I've learned that certain topics I'm inherently good at while others require more determination. I'd probably ask for more help especially if when I was confused. I can be stubborn from time to time. One thing I'm glad that I've done was be active in school programs from the beginning. The relationships I've been able to build with fellow students and professors is priceless.

How have your goals changed over the time since you started school until now? Have the changes been big or small?

When I initially started back to school, I wanted to go into nursing. However, after my first semester, I knew that I wanted to get a degree in a STEM field. It only took a little convincing from my first biology professor. By the second semester of school I was pretty set on environmental science. I feel it’s a rather important career to venture into. It’s also a very broad field and I’m sure I’ll be able to find something I truly enjoy doing. I would say that this is a rather huge change from my original goal. Thus far, I’m sure I’ve made the right decision.

What is your dream job?

What is your dream job? Why is this your dream job? Has this always been your goal?

The story of dreams and all of us wishful thinkers! I'd have to say my dream job would be working somewhere that assists underprivelged communities gain access to clean water. This is my dream job because I believe every single person deserves the right to have the necessary means for survival. We often take this resource for granted. All too often we don't realize that there are people in the world that go without on a daily basis. This has not always been my goal. But since my scholastic career I have had the opportunity to meet with great scientists (professors), who deeply care for the world that we live in as I do. I guess you can say they helped me discover a path that I'm very passionate about.

Why did you choose a STEM field? What interests you about STEM fields?

Why did you choose a STEM field? What interests you about STEM fields?

I've always been a naturally curious kid. I used to spend a lot of time alone daydreaming about how to make the world a better place. Science was also my favorite school subject. I mostly decided a STEM career because of my first biology professor in college. He is so passionate about what he does and truly inspires students to achieve their dreams. The exciting thing about STEM fields is that there are plenty of subjects and topics. You are not limited in this field because there are endless avenues. You are also free to be a curious and innovative thinker while trying to make the world a better place.

Desert Survivor

At this point in the semester my research has been going rather smoothly compared to last semester. However, since I've been on this project by myself I haven't been able to isolate as many individual bacterial colonies. I believe I should still be able to have enough information for comparative data. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. This week I finally have my first round of rural bacteria! I gathered these samples outside of Yuma, Arizona.

MicroPlates

This week was the first time I officially used the MicroPlates. After the recommended 36 hour incubation time, I still wasn't able to obtain readings from them. Next, week I will have to make new bacterial broth and try again. I will also be reverting back to my testing method I used last semester to be on the safe side. I was really excited to use these plates. Hopefully the second round shows the readings that I desperately need to identify my bacteria.

Gen III MicroPlate

The new testing method for the bacteria I'm using this semester is called Gen III MicroPlate. The test panel has 96 wells. I will be using it for the first time next week after my bacteria grows in TSB broth. I'm really excited to share this with everyone. Wish me luck in hopes that it goes smoothly. I've also been successful in getting more bacteria to grow. I recently discovered that I may have to change my agar plates to yeast, which I will be testing next week as well. Stay tuned!

Gen III Microplate wells

Welcome Back!

Starting off, I wasn't able to get any bacteria to grow on my TSA plates. Until yesterday, I finally had growth. My new solution to this problem is to make new TSA plates to make sure the bacteria has an adequate amount of food to survive on. If this doesn't work, there very well could be a different explanation. This semester I will also be using a different tool to identify the bacteria we do find. I'm excited and ready to dig in and get my hands dirty.

First growth plate