I’ve always told myself that I like science, and some day I would like to go to graduate school, but I do not want to go just because it is my default choice as a scientist.  For the time being, I have chosen to be a worker bee and I continue yearning to try out all of the things.

I’ve worked in an immunology lab taking care of a mouse colony, learning molecular bench techniques.

I’ve built 3D models of the mouse brain showing genetic expression patterns in the hippocampus region.

Ive spent a couple of years as a field biologist conducting research on squirrel populations in relation to forest land management practices.

I’ve looked at breeding behavior of parrots in Mexico.

I’ve studied how urbanization affects songbird populations.

I’ve traveled on an icebreaker to Antarctica to study the algal carbon cycle in the Ross Sea.

Ive volunteered in the Peruvian Amazon multiple times with Earthwatch and The Macaw Project.

Currently, I work on a climate change project looking at how algae respond genetically to high CO2 levels, ocean acidification conditions, and UV stress.

That seems like a lot of experiences!

Yet, I still yearn for more experiences.

To someone who knows what path they need to be on to reach their goal, my endeavors could look like aimless wanderings. To me, I think only in hindsight will their strategery be revealed.

Not all who wander are lost – J. R. R. Tolkien

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