Hello and welcome! Thanks for visiting my site.
Wondering about me? Me too! (Just kidding! Well, mostly kidding.)
Born and raised in the state of Maine, I am a graduate of the Medical Laboratory Technology Program (A.S. 1992) and the Biology program (B.A. 2007) at the University of Maine at Augusta. After leaving Maine for the Midwest, I earned my Ph.D. in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Microbiology at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI in 2011. I followed that with postdoctoral training at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan Medical School. Since January 1, 2014 (the day MSU won the Rose Bowl!) I have been a faculty member in the Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics Program at Michigan State University, where I teach pathophysiology, scientific communication, and other interesting things to undergraduate and graduate students. I am also the graduate director for the program’s three master’s degrees.
I have had many roles as an educator: high school teacher, home school parent, tutor, graduate teaching assistant, mentor, aquarium/summer camp educator, and higher ed faculty. I’ve learned something from every student along the way.
As an educator, microbial ecologist, and medical laboratory professional, my research interests include anaerobic wastewater treatment (and clean water in general), bacterial life in low oxygen environments, clinical microbiology, paleopathology, and the science of teaching and learning. I also regularly present at conferences and other places about life as a gifted person.
I am really excited about my most recent project, Speaking Science, a podcast that translates the science that affects our daily lives for a general audience, with co-host Alyssa Preiser. It’s really a love letter to my friends and family, to help them navigate a world awash with scientific information and misinformation.
Here’s a link to my CV.