Today we are featuring a Jasmine Stovall who is a PhD student in the biology department. Check out her interview to learn more about her work with water quality and urban environments!
What inspired you to pursue a career in STEM?
Math and science were always my favorite subjects as a child. As I got older, I began to become increasingly fascinated by the environment and sustainability. Once I got to high school and enrolled in courses such as biology, earth/space science, zoology and physiology, I realized that the experimental process of scientific research, ecosystem dynamics, organismal ecology, and human environmental impact were all things that truly excited me. I was not aware that environmental science was an actual career choice until I started applying for colleges and having conversations with my high school math and science teachers. Having learned this only further solidified that a career in STEM was the right choice for me.
How would you describe your work to the public?
Finding the balance between feeding a growing human population and preserving our freshwater resources is a challenge of growing importance. My work aims to better understand the dynamics of this balance by exploring the relationship between human activity and water quality from an ecological perspective. Specifically, I am interested in learning how human activities, such as urbanization and agriculture, can affect the quality of lakes and drinking water reservoirs and the biological communities that inhabit them. Most of my work involves the study of a community of microscopic organisms called phytoplankton, or algae. Algae are an important part of aquatic ecosystems because they are great indicators of the quality and condition of their physical and chemical environment. Therefore, studying phytoplankton allows us to learn a lot about the quality of the water we drink.
What do you enjoy doing the most?
I most enjoy microscopy, teaching undergraduate students, setting up lab experiments and being out on the lake collecting water samples. Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking, crafting, cycling, and spending time with my nieces and nephew.
Share an accomplishment that a younger you would have thought unachievable.
Two years ago, I was afforded the opportunity to travel to Ghana and teach sixth graders about environmental sustainability and water quality. It has always been a lifelong goal of mine to travel to Africa, but truthfully, a younger me never would have imagined this goal being accomplished so early in my life, if at all. The fact that I not only went to Africa but was also able to teach the next generation about two of the things I am most passionate about made for an experience that exceeded far beyond my expectations.
If you can give a piece of advice to the younger generation, what would it be?
Never compare your individual journey to someone else’s and embrace your uniqueness at every stage of life. Be confident enough in your choices to go at your own pace and always remember that, at any moment, you are exactly where you are supposed to be.
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