E-Portfolio Introduction

Hello! I am an undergraduate student at Pennsylvania State University, working my way to a degree in Biology (B.S. 2014) with a specialization in genetics.

Why Biology? Well, I have always been fascinated by how the world functions. One of my biggest interests, in fact, has been discovering more about the complex and diverse life-forms that reside on Earth. Biology is such a diverse field of study, one that incorporates elements of chemistry, ecology, and many others forms of science. As such, it is the perfect discipline through which I can learn more about the living world.

Strangely enough, my interests in this wide range of topics leads me to a focus on one field, the one that ties everything else together, genetics. There is so much yet to be discovered about this one molecule, and it holds all the keys to understanding all of life’s mysteries. The potential waiting in the depths of this double helix is what attracts me to the field, and my ultimate career goal is actually to become a research geneticist, specifically one that works in a laboratory focusing on transgenics or recombinant DNA technology.

At Penn State I have jumped head-first into my intended field of study, enrolling, as a member of the Schreyer Honors College, in multiple honors biology courses, spanning topics such as ecology, microbiology, and molecular biology. I am even participating in an actual research lab. Under of the guidance of Professor Blair Hedges, I study the speciation of Hispaniolan frogs in the genus Eleutherodactylus in order to further conservation efforts in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

All of the documents on this e-portfolio are showcases of my analytical and critical-thinking skills, traits that are necessary for a professional career in science. They are also a showcase of my communicative skills, displaying that I can write for a variety of audiences, in a more formal or informal setting. These range from lab reports and independent research projects, to speeches and blog entries that delve into advertisement analysis or other topics.