My interest in science stems from my childhood.  I grew up surrounded by state and national parks.  I spent the majority of my free time playing outside.  During summer breaks from school I frequented the beach.  I fell in love with the ocean and vowed that one day I would study the Great Barrier Reef.  Eventually I did, but I'll get to that part in a little while.

   After graduating from Owen J. Roberts, I went to Cedar Crest College to pursue a degree in Genetic Engineering and a minor in Chemistry.  Both have served me well.  I moved to North Carolina where I worked for a biotechnology company cloning human ion channel genes for use in drug discovery.  I learned a lot about DNA, cloning, and myself in that job.  I knew I wasn't exactly where I wanted to be and I hadn't met all of my goals.

   I really wanted to study the Great Barrier Reef so I joined a team of scientists at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.  I spent my 25th birthday at Heron Island Research station on the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef extracting DNA and RNA from marine sponges.  I officially met my childhood goal.  It was an amazing experience.

   Generally in life when we achieve one goal we are put on a path to another.  At the University of Queensland I found myself teaching undergraduate chemistry laboratories three times a week.  I was also contracted by the Queensland Museum and Astra Zenica to teach a few teams of their chemists how to perform cloning experiments.  I designed and ran my own cloning classes.  I also tutored students at the Australian College of Natural Medicine. 

   When I returned to the United States three and a half years later, I took a job with the Dolan DNA Learning Center in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.  I taught molecular biology to high school students during the school year.  In the summer I teamed up with John Jay College of Criminal Justice to assist with Forensic Science Summer Camps.

   I currently hold a Master's in Education and am certified to teach Biology, General Sciences, and Agriculture.  As I continue to travel on the path education has set before me, I am certain I will grow.  Science has taken me around the world and back.  Where will it take you?