Crocodile hunter wannabe

I find it funny that my parents have no idea what I do. Half the time they can't remember what I'm majoring in - they just remember it has something to do with cotton.

Ma: "What's your major again - biology?"
Me: "No Ma, it's genetics. I'm doing some research on cotton genetics."
Ma: "So & so asked about you today and I was trying to remember what you were taking. I knew it had something to do with cotton."

You would not believe how many times we've had this conversation - basically whenever anyone in my hometown asks how I'm doing.

So I'm pursuing a PhD in genetics. Some people "Oooo" and "Ahhh" when I say that, but it's not as sexy as it sounds. Labwork can be (and often is) repetitive and mundane. These comments are often followed by comments like, "So, you're cloning someone?" or , "So you're growing some Super Cotton?" Nah, what I do is nothing as glamorous as that. In a nutshell what I do is sequence (relatively) small portions of cotton DNA and look for a specific type of molecular marker called microsatellites. I use a perl script to detect the microsatellites in the sequence data. I'm finishing up that now; next, I'll use the markers to determine the genetic relationships among ~200 cotton varieties held by a cotton breeder in California. The characterization of this breeding stock will hopefully allow the breeder to make the most successful crosses, and streamline the breeding process. This will cut down on the 10-12 years it typically takes to develop a new variety and get it to market.

I never intended to work with plants. I wanted to be a herpetologist (one who studies reptiles and amphibians) and curate a reptile exhibit at a zoo or work at a natural history museum. When I was applying for graduate school, the lone herpetologist on staff told me he was retiring. I ended up in genetics because the opportunity to earn a PhD while getting paid basically fell in my lap. I had to apply for a fellowship, but the applying was basically a formality. I was a little worried, because my undergraduate grades weren't the best. As a matter of fact, I flunked out of Clemson as an undergrad. What's odd is that I'm prohibited from ever returning to Clemson as an undergraduate student - but I'm allowed to pursue a graduate degree here. Go figure. Luckily graduate school and undergraduate school admissions operate separately. Now I just have to graduate - if I don't, I'll never be able to pay off the student loans I've taken out!