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The Great and Terrible Yote, very proud of the hole he has just dug and wearing the evidence without shame.

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Hey everyone! My name is Erin and I am your primary learning coach. My scholastic life passions revolve around phylogenetics and evolution, with a sprinkling of population/conservation genetics and microbiology. I work in the Penstemon genus of wildflowers, in addition to having a hefty chunk of my dissertation devoted to best practices in education--especially in the realm of transdisciplinary integration (specifically art/science). I've developed and run a plethora of science/art outreach projects (microbestiary.org, kaleidoscopescience.org to name a few). I am also a professional consultant at the UW Writing Center, and have a ton of writing experience both technical and creative. I love to help people become better writers so don't hesitate to come to me with any writing questions or concerns!

Outside of research, teaching, and working in the Writing Center, I create art (mostly screen printing, though I am about to venture into some linocut printing and have done a decent amount of oil painting), I play a border-line excessive amount of ttRPGs (think Dungeons and Dragons) and boardgames, and I hang out with my dog, the Great and Terrible Yote (pictured here). I am excited to see what we can build together this semester!

My question for you all is to ask me a question!

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Hey y'all, my name is Caleb Sundquist. I am a senior from Casper, WY and I love microbiology, especially in the context of medicine and pathogenesis. This works well as I am currently working towards medical school. I also enjoy my job tutoring chemistry and biology classes.

Outside of school, I enjoy LEGOs and construction projects, as well as pretty much any outdoor activity (hiking, biking, kayaking, snowmobiling, etc.).

I have done some basic guided research before, although this class is intimidating as it feels like I am doing much more "real" research now. However, I look forward to being able to find and research my own questions.

As for questions:

What part of research do you think will be the most difficult for you? For me I think finding the right question is going to be the most difficult.

What is the top item on your bucket list?

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Hello! My name is Haleigh Walthall and I am a senior majoring in Microbiology. I'm really interested in medical school and public health. I chose microbiology because it relates so much to everything in our lives and also many of the diseases and conditions that effect people. This major allows you to study many different things, and you can never stop learning new things. I love camping and volunteering. Helping out the community is a lot of fun to me. I'm a little nervous for how the research will go, since I'm not the best at writing research papers or coming up with new ideas. But I'm excited to discover new things and work with others in this setting!

What are you excited about?

What makes microbiology interesting to you?

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Hello, my name is Remi Atwood and I am a senior this year majoring in microbiology. Currently, I work at two labs on campus. One studies the eco-evolutionary dynamic of global change of populations using the red flour beetle, and my other lab focuses on use microfluidic devices to mimic soil environments. I have a passion for microbial sciences and research and I am super excited to be able to combine everything I have learned so far in my undergrad for this course. So far I have no experience in scientific writing or designing my own experiments so I hope to improve in these areas during this course. From what I can tell this class aims to allow students to implement their own ideas into their projects which I think is really cool. I will be applying to grad programs soon and will be pursuing a master's in bioinformatics.

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Here is a picture of my German Shepherd named Valko!

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Hello, my name is Kaden Irey and I am a senior this year. I am from Pinedale, Wyoming. I became a microbiology major because I heard it was a good major to be competitive for medical schooling. I also love microbiology and how in-depth it goes into things we cannot view with our naked eye. Some things that I am very passionate about are fitness, MMA, and my dog. I am always training MMA and working out to stay in shape. I also really like to go on runs with my dog. I am excited to see how "being in the driver's seat" feels regarding academics. It will be interesting to see what feels easier or harder with this change. I am very nervous about the lab work because I don't feel I am always the best in the lab. I am also very nervous about the unknown with this course. I have not heard a lot of things about my capstone before taking it. This makes me nervous because I like knowing just what to expect. I hope that I do well with the lab work and I hope that everyone does well in this class! I am excited to start soon.

What is the most difficult class that you have taken as a Microbiology major?

What do you want to do after you obtain your undergraduate degree?

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Hello! My name is Lauren French, and I am a senior this year. I switched into the microbiology major my sophomore year because of how much I enjoyed the lab portion of that class, so I am excited to be back in the lab researching in this class! I also work in the Fay lab on campus as a lab aid so it will be fun to do actual research in this class instead of just cleaning up after researchers! When I'm not in school I'm usually outdoors. Hiking in the summer time and snowboarding during the winter. And I have two cats named Charlie and Emmett! I'm excited about this class because of the research aspect but I'm nervous about the presentation aspect of this class.

Are you planning on going to grad school after finishing your bachelors?

Do you have any pets?

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Hi!! My name is Hannah Grim and I am senior this year at UW! I am currently majoring in Microbiology and minoring in Criminal Justice. I am excited to graduate in the Spring and hopefully go onto grad school for Forensic Science. I love all things science and also love all things criminal justice so I decided that going into Forensics would be an interesting path to take. I am nervous for this course because I am not sure what to expect from it but I am also very excited to dive deeper into microbiology and learn a little bit more about the field of research. I have never done any big research like this although I love researching topics especially ones that are very interesting and relate to health so I am excited to do research on areas of microbiology. Besides working on school I enjoy hanging with my friends, being outdoors, shopping, and reading. I am very excited for my senior year and to be able to continue to learn more about microbiology and how it relates to health. I have enjoyed each microbiology class I have taken so I'm hoping this capstone will set me up for future research opportunities.

What are you most looking forward to about the Microbiology Capstone?

What is one fun thing that you did over the summer?

What has been your favorite classes that you have taken so far in college?

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Hello everyone!! My name is Mary Elaine Algeo. Most of my friends call me Malaine but Mary is fine too! I am a Microbiology major with a minor in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Management. I also am an employee at the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory for about 4 years now! My main interests include infectious diseases and the one health aspects with relation to wildlife. I am the undergraduate student researcher working for Dr. Jonathan Fox's Laboratory studying the etiology of Canine Dysautonomia which I have been doing for two years now! In my spare time I am usually found in the middle of no where hiking, fishing, camping, skiing, and any other outdoor activities you can think of! I am hoping to go to grad school after graduating in May. And I am looking at opportunities that I would be able to tie disease research into wildlife ecology and management studies.

I think with this course I am looking forward to learning more about how to conduct research. Though I have prior knowledge of research practices I still have quite a bit to learn. With this class I hope that it will provide me with that experience and information that I can later tie into my graduate studies and later in life too.

1) What aspects of microbiology interest you most?

2) What was the determining factor for you to choose microbiology as your major?

3) If you are interested in research what kind of research community would you like to be a part of?

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This is a picture of my fiancé and I. We just got engaged this summer above Meadowlark lake in the Big Horn Mountains!

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Hello! My name is Payton Julson and I am a senior this year. I am excited to graduate from UW to then move onto PA school. I have always been on the Pre-PA route, however I chose microbiology as a major because I feel as if it combines and provides the perfect balance to understanding, diagnosing, and treating various diseases. I am nervous about this course as I am not sure what to expect. I have never participated in research, however, that also excites me that I am given the chance to expand my capabilities and experiences. As for what excites me outside of school (I really do enjoy school very much and sometimes it can become my whole personality) I love to read and play games. I am looking forward to meeting and working with you all very soon!

Some questions I'm interested in asking,

What motivated you to pursue a microbiology degree?

What's been your favorite microbiology-related course?

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Hello, my name is Cole Wyatt. I'm assuming many of you are also majoring in microbiology. This makes me excited to attend this class. I love the science of microbiology and how such small organisms can carry such a great impact in our world. I'm also interested to see the great projects you all will make this semester. I'm kind of boring; I like to hang out with friends, watch movies, and when the season comes you'll catch me at snowy range almost every weekend trying to break my bones. This past summer I've been working in the Schmitt lab doing immunohistochemistry on mouse brains. Although I have been working in a lab for a while now, I desperately need to improve my writing capabilities. Another reason why I'm excited to be here. I do want to pursue a PhD after this year and will be applying to programs very soon. Above is my angel Lily. Here are my questions:

1) Why is Lily so beautiful?

2) If you could have any pet, who would it be? Why would it be Lily?

3) What costume should Lily get for Halloween this year?

Thank you all, I look forward to this semester with you.

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Hi, my name is Hailey, and I am a senior. I am interested in most things microbiology and plan to go into public health. I enjoy being in nature and baking!

The research part of the class sounds like it will be fun. It makes me a bit nervous to plan and regulate every part of the process for the first time. Coming up with the research question seems a little intimidating, but I feel like it will teach me a lot about the research process. Overall, I am very excited for this course!

Questions:

-What field would you like to go into?/What are your post-grad plans?

-Do you have any research experience? Which was your favorite?

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I am pictured at the far left. This is a photo of me and my friends in Vancouver, BC last summer!

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Hello, my name is Charlotte Fraley, and I am in my fourth year of college! I am really excited to do my first round of research, and I hope that this is just one of many opportunities that I can do lab research. I really enjoy lab work and am excited to explore some research ideas that I have thought about. When I am not doing schoolwork or working, I enjoy painting and drawing. Research alone excites me quite a bit as I enjoy looking into subjects into depth and I also spend a lot of my time imagining up ideas that sound interesting. I am also extremely nervous as I have never done research of any kind, as the lab I work in is for diagnostic purposes, so I am afraid my lack of base knowledge will be my downfall. Either way, I think this will be a good learning opportunity!

Question time:

1. What field of microbiology excites you the most? For me it is viruses, especially rabies!

2. Do you want to do research in the future? I'd like to think I have the skill to do so one day.

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Hi! My name is Alyssa Samuelson and I am a senior! Being a microbiology major, I am really excited to dive deeper into the world of microbiology with this course! I absolutely love working in the labs so I am eager to see what will happen with that. As far as outside of school, I really love to travel, spend time with my friends and family, and I have really grown fond of cooking as I obviously don't live with my parents anymore lol. I am a little nervous for this course because I am not sure really what to expect and I am a little confused on how this course works but I am sure that will all be cleared up on Tuesday! As far as asking questions...

1) What was your favorite thing you did this past summer?

2) What is your favorite hands-on activity with Microbiology? I remember in a micro lab, we did effectiveness of antimicrobial properties with real life foods and garlic inhibited growth of bacterial immensely. As an extreme garlic lover, this was really cool for me.

3) What is your favorite pet? I have a corgi named Ozzy and he is like my whole world lol. I added a picture of him for good measure ;)