What has your Saint Michael's experience, particularly your experience as a biology major, been like?

My experience as a biology major has been comprehensive, expansive and enlightening. The lectures at St. Michael's provide the foundation, while the lab element allows for a practical, individualistic way to delve deeper into personal interests. You are taught experimental design, research skills and scientific writing from the very beginning of your biology education--all skills that are essential to being successful in this field. A point I'd really like to get across is that being a biology major isn't all work and studying--you have a lot of fun along the way and form some strong friendships with your classmates and lab group members. These are people that will always be there for you--it truly is a community atmosphere.

What additional activities did you pursue related to the biology major?

I have been a teaching assistant for the general biology labs since the beginning of my sophomore year. I find it to be a fun way to give back and really apply what you've learned to help fellow students. Anyone is really appreciative of any advice you can provide. In addition to TA'ing I helped do the preparatory work to ensure that all the labs would flow smoothly.

Everything I've been learning has really culminated into my senior research project which started this summer. We formed a lab group with fellow seniors Anna Gauthier, Chelsea Myers and Lucas Schultz under the advisory of Professors Bozzone and Green. While we all have our own individual projects, we share a common space and collective knowledge to our common theme of the study of evolutionary biology related to microbes. I personally am studying the effect of the foods we eat on the bacteria that cause dental caries to see if what we eat is related to an evolutionary push towards trying to decrease these cariogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans.

What are your post-graduate plans?

Currently I am studying for the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) and expect to take it in the next few months. I hope to apply for dental school by the end of this coming academic year for matriculation into a DMD or DDS program in the fall of 2012. In my year off I would like to work within a research field either at a university or in the private sector.