My graduation photoshoot! (2020)
Me and a wood turtle in the lab (circa 2017)
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About meI was born in São Paulo, the biggest city of Latin America! At a young age, I moved with my family to Maringá, where I grew up and is the place I consider to be my hometown. Maringá is a medium-sized city in the countryside of the state of Paraná, in the Southern region of Brazil.
I've always been passionate about understanding life and its different forms. I remember to this date my first Biology class in high school and how fascinating everything was. That's why and when I decided to major in Biological Sciences in college! I wanted to learn more about what makes life possible. Since my sophomore year of college I was involved in research projects and that sparkled my interest in pursuing a PhD. I did my PhD in Genetics and Genomics at Iowa State University, under the mentorship of Dr. Nicole Valenzuela. My research focused on genome-wide effects of incubation temperature on DNA methylation and expression of sexual development genes of the painted turtle. This research aimed to comprehend further the mechanism of sex determination in these animals in order to better preserve natural populations. During graduate school I learned lots of molecular Biology techniques, such as PCR, RT-PCR, DNA and RNA extraction and purification. I also learned basic coding as I used bioinformatics techniques on my research. Doing a PhD was extremely fulfilling and definitely the biggest challenge I had in my life so far. However, my biggest passion is to teach. I got a minor in science teaching during my undergrad and since then I have in mind that my place is the classroom. That became stronger after I had the opportunity to work as a Teaching Assistant during graduate school. I believe that education can change lives and have a big impact in society. I love interacting with students and I want to be involved in their learning process, and I love to make Biology as accessible and fun to everyone. I want to be in touch with students and help them develop as professionals. On a personal note, I am married and a happy dog mom! On my free time I love to go outside with my husband and dog, listen to true crime podcasts, do some crochet and embroidery projects and to drink a good glass of rosé wine. Lately, I became an avid player of Stardew Valley and Cult Of The Lamb, too! |
RIGHT NOW
I am currently located in Ames, Iowa, working as a Teaching Laboratory Specialist for the Department of Veterinary Pathology at Iowa State Univerisity.
I am currently located in Ames, Iowa, working as a Teaching Laboratory Specialist for the Department of Veterinary Pathology at Iowa State Univerisity.