So I realized before I start my blog, I need to give a little insight into who I am and what I do. I’m a chemical biologist. What does that actually mean though? I’m someone who uses chemistry to study biological processes. I’m trying to understand how these certain molecules, which haven’t been studied closely before, affect bacterial cell signaling. But words on paper (or your screen) have no meaning to what I actually do. Whenever I’m running a [what I think is] cool experiment. I’m going to try to walk you through my day and take pictures of key moments. Although, fair warning, my days are never consistent. I’m still learning how to budget time for my experiments so a lot of days I’m rushing around like a chicken with it’s head chopped off because I’m trying to make up for the time I forgot to account for.

Also, there are going to be times I use jargon and I apologize. I’m not trying to, but sometimes it’s just easy to fall into old habits (usually the only writing grad students get to do is proposals and papers which are usually more dry and full of field specific terms). If there’s anything confusing, please let me know! The whole concept only works if this is interactive. I can pick a million things to explain, but none of that helps if that’s not what you’re curious about.

A little bit of a disclaimer-I can’t speak for other departments, or for master’s, but I’m going to try my hardest to explain what it’s like getting a PhD in chemistry while studying biological systems. It’s hard for me to make sweeping generalizations about other fields, because I don’t get to interact with people outside of chemistry/biochemistry that often. I’m not saying I’m completely shut off from the world, but with spending ~50-60 hours/week on campus it’s hard to find time to meet new people. In the meantime if you have questions about other programs, I can try to lead you towards other sources, but my area of expertise, at least when it comes to graduate school, ends outside my little chemical bubble.

Outside of grad school I enjoy cooking, crafting, and trying to organize my life. I’m not extroverted, but I like challenging myself to be comfortable in different social situations. I used to be able to pick up insects and hold them close, but ever since I had 2 traumatic bug related incidents (one where a swarm of bees chased me around the grand canyon, the second was a dragonfly corned me into an outdoor shed) I’ve hated any and all bugs but I have a deeper dislike for things with wings.