Student Vignettes

Alyssa Fischer

INSTITUTION, MAJOR, AND HOBBIES

Hey! I am Alyssa Fischer. I am pursuing a Bachelors of Arts in Biochemistry with a Sociology minor at Wheaton College (MA) for my undergraduate degree. I am a Massachusetts local who currently lives right by Cape Cod in Plymouth, MA. I am passionate about learning and making the academia setting more accessible. I want people to be more understanding of science and have people develop an appreciation for wildlife and the environment. I also enjoy a good challenge whether that is through coursework, lab, or on the field for rugby. I enjoy staying active and appreciating nature through walks, hikes, and kayaking. 

CAREER INTERESTS

Through my education, I have gotten the privilege of being able to experience different areas of research and concentrations. This has allowed me to explore more of my interests. Recently, I have gained a significant interest in further exploring marine biology and scientific communication. I hope to develop an interdisciplinary approach between the sciences and communicating with the general public about chemistry, biology, and oceanography. Currently, I am interested in pursuing a career that focuses on marine life through field work and wet labs. I also want to further explore how humans are affecting and being affected by marine life along different coastlines.  

WHY I CHOSE TO ATTEND THE USF MAKING WAVES

I chose to attend USF Making Waves for a variety of reasons. Making Waves offered a unique approach comparatively to other REUs. Making Waves offers a more holistic view on science. This REU program has a ratio of mentors to students that was great in providing a personal hands-on learning experience. I also appreciated how this REU had a focus on scientific communication which has really piqued my interest. The mentors involved provided thorough descriptions of experiments that could be done which would provide a great opportunity for learning and growth in a lab setting and as a scholar. It was clear that this program focused on having a diverse group of participants and mentors which was important to me. Additionally, this REU provided topics that better reflected my current interests: combining independent research with support from mentors. The mentors also displayed that they're passionate about their areas of expertise and willingness to provide support and teaching opportunities making it a perfect fit for current interests and needs. In summary, this REU was chosen for the connections I could make, networking across various disciplines, current interests, as well as technological research platforms that my home institution does not provide.