Our spotlight today is on Felicia Osburn who is a grad student from the biology department. Read more about her story in STEM and her work with algal blooms below!
What inspired you to pursue a career in STEM?
I feel like I have been on the track for environmental work since I was a kid. I remember convincing my parents to create homemade recycling bins and making the extra trips to the recycling center just so we could be kind to the planet, and wanting to spend as much time outside looking for bugs and exploring as I could. Trying to figure out how things worked also always intrigued me. As far as STEM as a career goes, I fell into Biology after a high school teacher advised me against pursuing it as a college major (I was not the best student at the time). I ironically majored in it in college, and once I started taking environmental based classes I was hooked and never left. I have also had many amazing mentors in college that have encouraged me to continue on with it.
How would you describe your work to the public?
I study how differing ratios of nutrients (such as Nitrogen and Phosphorus, for example) effect the phytoplankton (algae) that live in lakes and reservoirs. I am seeking to find answers to question such as, how do these changes in nutrient ratios affect metabolic processes, and how does this then also change the natural community structure we see in lakes and reservoirs? I mainly do work with harmful algae, which are capable of producing toxins that can harm humans and animals, and seeing how differing nutrient and environmental variables effect toxin production and release.
What do you enjoy doing the most?
Some of my favorite activities outside of the lab include hiking, traveling, and being able to spend quality time with friends. I love a good game night, too. Work related, being able to do field work is always fun for me. Even if things don’t go quite as planned with weather at times, it’s nice to have a job where you can spend some time outside. Teaching also makes me happy, I love helping people learn and discover new things.
Share an accomplishment that a younger you would have thought unachievable?
I think younger me would be impressed to know that I’ve earned my Masters degree and made it into a PhD program. But I think to know that I have made it through all of the mental and emotional turmoil it took to get to this place would be the most unachievable thought. I feel mental health needs to be discussed much more than it is, as this process is as much an emotional journey as it is a mental one. I also think not so younger me, as in the person I was when I started my program, would be shocked to know I’ve become part of a new family here. Having a partner and helping to raise a child is NOT something I ever imagined doing, especially during my PhD as I was always warned against it due to time and stress, but now I can’t remember what life was like without them.
If you could give a piece of advice to the younger generation, what would it be?
Don’t be scared to do what makes you happy, even if others don’t find it to be an exciting or prestigious path. Just because pursuing a certain job, degree, or lifestyle would make others in your life happy, your future is yours alone and you should follow your own calling. Also, make it a priority to take time to take care of yourself and not feel guilty about it. We need more happy, fulfilled people in this world.
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