Designer . Writer . Creator

Interestingly enough, I was toying with the idea of becoming an interior designer as I was deciding my path to college, and I've always maintained that passion. I love curating my own space and helping others do the same. We're complex individuals, and our design tastes don't fall neatly into any one category – and that's ok! Our spaces should reflect our desires and support our needs. I can help you get started on a simple space revamp or a fully custom renovation!

In this day and age, there should be a website for pretty much everything, but you'd be surprised how little information is available for really specific needs, or they're relegated to social media platforms (such as Facebook) that are not inclusive. So to help with that, I'm a novice website creator! I've built my personal site and also one for a local homeowners' association. The key to a great looking site is imagery – custom photos and media to replace stock content.

I like to mix my strengths, so as part of that, I create conference programs for science events. I have collated, formatted, and prepared program booklets for 170+ participants, including designing the cover, as well as adding helpful maps, local points-of-interest lists, and conference schedules.

I have an active imagination and highly enjoy creating cosplay costumes and pulling off a successfully themed party. I like to mix-and-match stock patterns to create one-of-a-kind cosplay and halloween costumes, and then put that same inventiveness toward planning the perfect event. I've made custom Cardcaptor Sakura, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Sailor Saturn costumes, and I've orchestrated surprise 40th Kentucky Derby and May the 40th Be With You birthday parties. I'm also teaching myself to crochet. If you need ideas for your next shebang, hit me up!

Because of my varied background and multifaceted career, I love sharing my experiences with others! I often speak about life in graduate school, women in science, product development, project management, etc. (Scroll down to see my invited speakerships.) If your struggling with a big decision, preparing for an job interview, or just looking for an accountability partner, let me be a sounding board for your thoughts and ideas. I would love to have an informal conversation about your unique situation and to help you strategize next steps.

I like to write; I always have. I process complex emotions and thoughts by writing. I especially enjoy writing on topics that are close to my heart, such as DEI, women in science, and science in general. I have a few blog posts on Medium associated with Cafe Pixo and IndigoAg.Digital, and I even rewrite science journal (research) articles for nonspecialists and general audiences. I'm sure that more content will follow soon!

The Frontiers in Energy Research Newsletter is a quarterly newsletter that disseminates the exciting work being done at the Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs). The EFRCs, funded by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, represent a unique approach, bringing together creative, multidisciplinary scientific teams to perform energy-relevant basic research with a complexity beyond the scope of single-investigator projects. As a member of an EFRC, I was invited as a guest contributor. That guest article featured a dual-research couple who tackle the challenges of energy science and also life in general.

I didn't intend to become a newspaper writer, but I did after my college roommate asked me to go with her to the new semester orientation. I started as a staff writer, then became Arts & Entertainment section editor, then eventually Assistant Editor-in-Chief. As an editor, we were required to write weekly articles, assign stories to staff writers, design and copyedit our pages, and prepare our sections for print. And boy have those weekly copyediting sessions really paid off – I use those skills all the time when I need to review presentations, proposals, statements of work, etc.

Structuring and Managing Your Graduate Projects: Non-Technical Skills Module, Professional Development for Chemists. Chem 591 is an annual fall course offered to first-year graduate students to prepare them for myriad aspects of graduate education culture, not just research. The course is taught by several experts who present on their respective topic of expertise. For the past several years, I've given the lecture on "project managing research." That lecture draws from a lot of sources, even fun spoof videos! "Bad Project" (video at left), in addition to being hilarious, is a great example of risk analysis!

A PM State of Mind: Tips, Tricks, Gotchas, and Hard-earned Lessons from a PhD Chemist Turned Accidental Project Manager. The Chem Joint Safety Team (JST) is a group that provides education, training, and communication resources to facilitate a cohesive, effective, and safe culture. As part of their efforts, they invited me to speak on what I had learned "out in the wild," as a professional chemist and manager. 

Career and Networking Panel: Tips and Advice for Getting Your Dream Job. As part of the 12th Annual Gender Equity in Chemical Sciences (GEICS) Conference, I was invited to participate as a panelist during the afternoon session. That day was a lot of fun; we opened with a couple of guest speakers, followed by lunch and a panel discussion about "getting your dream job!" It was certainly a unique opportunity to be on "the other side" this time!

Creating Culture and Building Teams – How to Find Good People and Keep Them. ABE 498 is a yearly special topics course offered by the engineering department that focuses on new and developing areas of knowledge in agricultural and biological engineering and is intended to augment the existing curriculum. One such special topic centered on "entrepreneurship," and as a veteran of working in startups, I was asked to present on team culture.