The Summer of the Vagabond Biologist

This is a very short post. Basically - active blog hopefully coming soon!

I should start by introducing myself. Hi, my name is Anna. I just graduated with my Master's in Biology from the University of Missouri in May and immediately took on a handful of summer jobs while I contemplated my next life step.

One of the jobs has been to design and run a pollinator diversity study focusing on bee diversity in a restored prairie with a further emphasis on the influence of milkweed as a nectar source to pollinator visits. I had two undergraduate fieldwork assistants who shared in my many adventures out in the prairie. We learned a lot about visibility in a tall grass prairie, both when it comes to ditches you may find your ATV in as well as flag markers that get completely lost. Also, seriously, who chose yellow?

The other job started as a curriculum redesign for middle school STEM classes with an emphasis on science literacy, but turned into much more.

I am now a few text sets in - in other words, involved with the development of several text sets [groups of materials or resources focused around a main body of work but that include supplemental texts, audio, video or other media that help illustrate various concepts and ideas put forth in the main work] that try to cover a number of the national standards for science and English at the middle school level. I am currently involved with the subjects of sound, the carbon cycle, and evolution. The idea is to enhance science literacy while covering these topics within a main text, and provide additional resources at different levels to capture learners at various stages.

I was hired to do the curriculum redesign work for a professor in Biochemistry. He happened to have two undergraduate interns coming in over the summer to work on designing and running an RNAseq study to look at the effects of Sutherlandia on gene expression in human macrophages. I became their mentor and helped with many aspects of design, set up, and running of the experiment. It was quite an experience and felt like a solid preview of what it must be like to have your own lab. The experience made me know I am on the right path.

So, why is this titled vagabond biologist? Well, post-graduation I had been so caught up in the program, I had not solidified a next step. This has led to my belongings and beloved cat being moved many states away to be home with my parents while I continued living out of a suitcase and couch-surfing over the summer in order to complete these jobs. And, in about a week, I do my final road trip out of the Midwest and then aim for the Miami home come September.