This semester, I have been more immersed in research than ever.  My time in the IRIS Lab at the Emerging Pathogens Institute has been informative, challenging, and enjoyable. 

 

During the first part of the semester, my lab work mainly consisted of identifying ants under a microscope.  To be perfectly honest, this was not my favorite activity because ants are quite difficult to identify, especially for someone who has little prior knowledge of their morphology (like yours truly).  When I start this work again during the spring semester, I hope it will become a bit easier for me.  A long-term goal of mine is to be able to identify certain ant species without using a guide.

​

The second part of the semester has involved outreach work with the ImportANTS of Ants program.  I was apprehensive about joining the outreach team because I did not have any prior experience with outreach education, and I still have many things to learn about ants myself, but I am happy that I decided to participate.  We visited the first school, Littlewood Elementary, at the end of October, and it was an enjoyable experience.  I was nervous that the kids would be bored or confused, but they were incredibly engaged.  It was inspiring to see their natural curiosity and to hear their questions.  Although this type of outreach education may not be my favorite kind of research, I am still happy that I got to learn from this valuable experience.

​

Next semester, I hope to become more familiar with ants and to start working on my own research question.  I am really looking forward to reading literature about ant pathogens and microbiomes.  Until then, I look forward to finishing this semester strong!