Carl Sagan once said: "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anybody knows about science and technology." Although I do think that since he uttered these words much has changed, we must acknowledge that as science professionals we have a duty within society to serve and educate about the natural world. I've always found the world around me to be very interesting, curiosity has driven me through many roads where I have relied on the scientific method to find answers to questions that regard what I perceive around me. Sharing this wonder with others is something I actively seek out.
I decided to focus my studies on Biology with the intention of understanding the brain, however, as any other curious person, I have taken my time to explore a myriad of personal interests within the biological sciences. During my time as an undergraduate student, I worked voluntarily in different ways, but mostly in environmental and ecologically focused initiatives. Additionally, my passion for diversity has led me to work on projects aimed at increasing the representation of minorities in STEM.
I worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant in Dr. Omar Quintero’s lab at the University of Richmond, trying to understand the cellular roles associated with Myosin 19, a motor protein that localizes to the mitochondrial outer membrane.
After leaving Dr. Quintero's lab, I moved to Seattle where I continued my scientific pursuits at the University of Washington. Specifically, I was researching the role of Carboxypeptidase D in dense-core vesicle (DCV) biogenesis at Michael Ailion's lab.
I am currently a Ph.D. student in the Biochemistry department of the University of Washington, in Suzanne Hoppins lab. My research aims to determine the role of the mammalian mitochondrial fusion proteins Mfn1 and Mfn2, and their C. elegans ortholog FZO-1, in regulating mitochondrial fusion and transport, as well as their implications in neuronal function.
Aside from science, I have many more interests, but I would say education and research are pretty high on the list. Science education, in general, can provide the skill-set needed to critically analyze problems faced by our communities and offer pragmatic solutions.
I dream of a day when everybody will have true equal access to the resources necessary to move forward, and where science and technology are common knowledge to all, independent of social status.