Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

I have been participating in microbiology undergraduate research with Dr. Bialonska and Dr. Johnson since my sophomore year, and I have had the opportunity to research quorum sensing inhibition, biofilm formation and inhibition, identifying bacteria isolated from KT tape, and investigating antimicrobial resistance with the pathogenic species that were isolated from the tapes.

I have always been interested in the medical side of biology, so I love research because it gives me a way to investigate some of the most recent and pressing issues in modern medicine (such as antibiotic resistance) outside of the traditional hospital setting. I also love the research process as a whole, specifically being able to have my hands in every part of the process from starting with a research question, to experimenting with different methodology, and finally fine-tuning those methods and achieving results. Research has also allowed me to work closely with professors that I greatly admire and learn research techniques from them. Participating in undergraduate research allowed me to see that I am interested in pursuing a research-related career, and I hope to go to graduate school to achieve this goal.