Megan Beaudry
University of Georgia
Megan Beaudry is a fourth year PhD candidate in the Department of Environmental Health Science at the University of Georgia working with Dr. Travis Glenn. Megan graduated summa cum laude from Keene State College in 2015 with a degree in Safety and Occupational Health Applied Science (BS), and will receive a Master of Science (MS) in Environmental Health Science from the University of Alberta in 2018. Her research interests include microbial water quality and genomics. Megan enjoys participating in outreach activities and has educated children on how to stay safe if they become lost via the “Lostproofing” program. In her spare time, she enjoys running marathons, climbing mountains, and eating ice cream.
Katie Dillon
University of Georgia
Katie Dillon earned her bachelor’s degree in food science from Oklahoma State University in 2016. Currently, Katie is a PhD student with the Integrated Life Sciences Program at UGA.
Clayton Edenfield
University of Georgia
Clayton graduated from UGA in 2018 with his B.S. in Environmental Health Science. He is currently a fourth-year Ph.D. student whose research focuses on SARS-CoV-2, epigenetics, and model improvement. Outside of the lab, he enjoys hiking, woodworking, and reading.
Julia Frederick
University of Georgia
Julia is a fourth year PhD candidate in Dr. Travis Glenn’s lab and is an NSF Fellow for UGA’s Interdisciplinary Disease Ecology Across Scales (IDEAS) program. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology with high honors from Georgia Institute of Technology. She has spent time volunteering at a wildlife rehabilitation center where student outreach was a focus, and has always enjoyed introducing children and teens to the sciences. She looks forward to continuing these outreach efforts!
Anecia Gentles
University of Georgia
Anecia is a second year PhD student in the IDEAS program. After she earned her BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Rice University, she worked on a field project investigating zoonotic pathogens in the three fruit bat species of Madagascar. She is broadly interested in exploring how human land use might influence pathogen transmission dynamics in fruit bats. In her free time, Anecia loves to paint, be outside, and build terrariums! She hopes to instrumental in translating scientific research for all communities and engage with young scientists through primary education.
Aarum Youn-Heil
University of Georgia
Aarum Youn-Heil is a second year PhD student in the Entertainment Media Studies Department at the University of Georgia. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Studies from the University of South Florida in December 2017, and her Masters of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of Georgia in July 2020. Her doctoral research is interested in interracial communication apprehension in media. Aarum enjoys time with her pets, impromptu weekend vacations, and new adventures with old friends.
Austin Heil
University of Georgia
Austin Heil is a third year PhD student in the Mathematics and Science Education Department at the University of Georgia. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology in May 2013, and his Master of Science (MS) in Biological Oceanography in August 2017 from Florida State University. His research interests broadly focus on science literacy. Specifically, he is investigating the 1) instructional decisions in undergraduate non-majors biology and 2) how science majors come to know the disciplinary norms and conventions associated with science writing. Austin cares deeply about teaching and broadening access to science and scientific research to local communities and schools.
Megan Lott
University of Georgia
Megan Lott is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Georgia. As a public health microbiologist, Megan is interested in understanding the interactions between humans and microbes in their shared environments. Megan received a BSPH and MS in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Megan joined the University of Georgia for the opportunity to conduct research that is at the forefront of public health, while responding to community needs. Megan hopes to encourage community-based research by connecting with educators and young scientists.
Elizabeth Riegelman
University of Georgia
Alec Thompson
University of Georgia
Alec Thompson is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Population Health at the University of Georgia. He received his BS in microbiology from the University of Oklahoma in 2017. He has broad interests in infectious diseases, parasites, and wildlife health. His current research focuses on characterizing the natural history and health risks associated with exotic tick species in the United States.
Maria Letourneau (UGA)