I am a Virgo from Yuma, AZ, who enjoys candle-lit dinners and long walks on the beach… But in all seriousness, I really am from Yuma.  Growing up, I was very involved in extracurricular activities, especially dance and 4H.  Because of this, I am proficient in tap dancing, showing cattle, and cake decorating.  So, why am I now involved in science?  Good question!  After graduating high school, I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from the University of Arizona.  During this time, I spent about a year working as an undergraduate in Dr. Gerba’s environmental microbiology lab.  I enjoyed it so much that I decided to continue working here while I earn my Master’s degree in environmental science.  Eventually, I suppose, I will have to join the real workforce.  Until then, I’ll enjoy eating sushi with friends, watching foreign/indie films, going on dangerous excursions to the desert, and, above all else, salsa dancing with Canadians.

Current Project:

In October of 2004, I began working in the Gerba Lab as a lowly dishwasher.  I worked hard and moved up to the next to the bottom rung as a dishwasher/ media maker/ errand runner.  During this time, I also helped to process bacterial samples, learning techniques such as membrane filtration and spread plating.  In August of 2005, I was moved to the cell culture division of the lab, which is where I am currently working on a project for my thesis.  This project involves the determination of Ct values for the chlorine inactivation of Echovirus 18, Echovirus 30, Coxsackievirus B2, and Coxsackievirus B6 in water.  I am also working on a lovely biosolids project.  For this project, Class B biosolids are processed and assayed using two different cell lines to determine which is more sensitive for detecting enteric viruses.  In addition, I am beginning a new project that includes the inactivation of Feline Calici Virus.