I am an upcoming senior at Berry College working on my bachelors degree in Animal Science and Biochemistry. In my freshman year I presented my own research project to one of the Biology faculty at Berry. Impressed and interested in the idea, she offered to let me work on my project in her lab. Under her encouragement, I continued on to receive two institutional grants to fund my research for the entirety of my 4-year degree. I truly have a passion for research which started in high school after I obtained my BACE certificate and continues to this day. I am currently finishing out my bachelors degree and applying to Ph.D. positions to continue my education and foster my love of research.
I was given the rare opportunity to take the BACE credential exam in high school under a fantastic program and teacher. Her encouragement and passion really helped me in knowing that research was the career for me. Having the BACE credential has made me a much stronger candidate for positions over my peers because of the extra experience I have received. I have had multiple people comment on the fact that I was BACE certified when presenting my resume to potential employers and in applying for schools.
My day to day job duties include basic laboratory management, laboratory techniques such as PCR, gel electrophoresis, and DNA/RNA extractions, and project planning. Because I am the only individual working on my specific project I am required to do everything from develop a research plan to execution of that plan. On top of working on my own project, I occasionally assist my professor in her projects with jobs such as DNA extraction and PCR. I also help other students in the lab learn techniques and develop their own projects to apply for grant money.
My favorite part of my job is being able to work on something that I absolutely love under the supervision of someone who truly believes its a great idea and has a passion for expanding the field.
