I have an associate degree from Clackamas Community College; a BSc in general science from Portland State University; and a MSc in biology from Washington State University. I have always had a passion for education, but especially for nature and science. So naturally, while pursuing my undergraduate degree, I planned on becoming a middle school science teacher. After realizing that I had a lot of questions about how organisms survived extreme environmental conditions, and with the guidance of my mentors, I decided to pursue a MSc to answer some of those questions and determine if research was a potential field of interest. 

  During my MSc, I worked with the intertidal copepod Tigriopus californicus and examined the effects of combined and cycling environmental conditions on its physiology and behavior. This experience convinced me to pursue a PhD and continue studying environmental physiology. 

  I joined the Sinclair lab in the fall of 2023. I became aware of the work being conducted in this lab while reviewing literature for my past projects. When the opportunity arose to join the Sinclair Lab, I knew I wanted to be a part of the team! 

  My research project at Western will focus on understanding what role individual, combined, and fluctuating environmental cues play in eliciting freeze tolerance in the spring field cricket Gryllus veletis and identifying candidate genes for manipulation experiments. I am also interested in determining the life-stage-specific induction of freeze tolerance in this species, among other related projects. Ultimately, I plan to contribute to our understanding of how organisms respond to realistic environmental conditions. 

  If you are interested in learning more about my work, please do not hesitate to contact me.