“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”
-Sir David Attenbourough
Curiosity about the natural world and how it functions is what drives my studies. My previous studies focused on insect behavior: learning in butterflies, host recognition in mites, and larval choice of host plants. I have since shifted my work to study symbionts in insects and their effects. Currently, I work in Dr. Jen White’s lab at University of Kentucky as a senior laboratory technician while also working on my Master’s degree. My work focuses on the maternally-inherited symbionts that are reproductive manipulators of a Linyphiid spider.
I have also previously worked for Flying Dog Brewery as a tour guide. Outside of the lab and the brewery, I am an amateur musician and photographer. I ride horses and I climb rocks.
