About Me

Welcome to all my curious comrades! My name is Alyssa, and I’m here to change the world.

Well, maybe not change the whole world. But I do hope to change a little bit about how people perceive science.

David Willetts, a previous Minister of State for Universities and Science in the UK once said, “There are two things that get kids into science – dinosaurs and space.” While I might argue this is a slight oversimplification, his statement rings true in my life. As so many young people do, I fell in love with dinosaurs. I learned how to spell ‘paleontologist’ in kindergarten while my peers were starting on simpler words. My love of science started with the desire to dig up dinosaur bones – now it is the desire to fight disease.

My dream of becoming a paleontologist stayed with me for a long time, until a combination of factors led me to the decision that I wanted to contribute to something that more directly impacted everyday human life and well-being (one of them being the long, sweaty, sandy days in the desert spent searching for a sign of old bones). I got my Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Music (with a minor in psychology, but let’s collectively pretend that doesn’t exist). My science career took an unexpected turn when I was awarded with a Fulbright Study Grant to get my master’s degree in England, where I got a Master of Science in Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology (the wordiest degree I’ve ever encountered). I’m currently spending my time relaxing on the sunny beaches of eastern Florida to get my PhD (just kidding, I spend most of my time indoors).

All in all I think I’ve picked up a little bit of scientific knowledge along the way. There’s still a lot I don’t know or don’t understand, but I still have a lifetime left to cultivate my knowledge. Through this journey, my career goals have shifted. For a long time I had my sight set on becoming a primary investigator, where I could run my own research lab and guide a new generation of scientists. But over the past year or so, I’ve realized my true passion for science lies in writing. Specifically, it lies in writing about science in a way that’s accurate, concise, and engaging.

So here I am. Looking at the unstable world we live in, seeing the ignorance and fear dominate conversations around science has driven me to put my voice out there. I’m not expecting to have a widespread impact. If I can just capture the minds of a few people who are interested, that would be enough for me.

Just a few additional tidbits here. For those who are interested, you can read more about what I want this blog to be in my very first blog post. I also talk about the name I chose, for those who are wondering what sheep have to do with science. I really hope you don’t find it too corny. If you do, don’t tell me because I really like it!

Lastly, thank you for those of you who have that spark of curiosity and want to join me here. I hope that you find this blog entertaining and insightful. If you do, please share what you’ve gained with others, and together we can make the world a little less scary.

(Side note: my lovely and much more artistically inclined sister designed the logo/banner for my website. She’s also an actual writer/English person, so if you like books and cats and music, check out her blog at Between the Shelves!)