Author Information
Hello! Thank you so much for stopping by my site and learning a little bit about my research. My name is Katherine Heeres and I am a senior undergraduate Biology major at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI. If you're interested in getting to know me a little more feel free to take a look down below for more details about me and my research!
Why This Project?: I first became interest in doing research with antibiotic resistant pathogens because of their relevance to the medical field. After graduation this spring I am headed to medical school so I figured learning about something that I will encounter a lot in my future career might be fun and interesting. Additionally, one of my favorite classes I've ever taken was Microbiology so doing research with bacteria was a no brainer. Finally, learning about new scientific advancements is always interesting so tackling a rather new topic like Photo Dynamic Therapy was very exciting for me!
Favorite Lab Technique: Luckily for me one of my favorite techniques to use in the lab was also the one that I used the most in my research—the Live/Dead stain. Although, now that I think about it maybe I just tricked myself into liking it because I had to do it so many times! In all seriousness, the Live/Dead stain is my favorite because you get to do a little bit of everything. From using a vacuum to aspirate media, to micropipetting dye, to wrapping and entire plate in tinfoil, the Live/Dead stain has a little something for everyone.
Beyond Biology: While I enjoy spending time in the lab and working with biofilms even the biggest nerds need to take a break every once and a while! Two of my favorite pass times outside of Biology and the lab are swimming and playing the violin. I competitively swam all four years of college and really enjoy getting in the pool and swimming some laps. I also have been playing the violin since I was four years old, and even though I despised practicing when I was younger, spending some time making music is another great pass time.
Useless Stats: Over the course of my research I used approximately 40 well plates, grew about 920 biofilms, made 1 gallon of Trypticase Soy broth, and used about 500 glass pipettes.
