This site is intended to be a place for me to communicate with my friends, family, and coworkers. It has been inspired by my interests in biology, photography, nature, social activism, and technology. All the pictures on this site were taken by me or taken as a part of a group project I participated in. The layout, format, and design of this site were also conducted by me with the help of some great programs like Dreamweaver and Picasa.

Inverted repeats are sequences of DNA that are repetitive and palindromic. In other words, they are the same but in opposite directions. They are commonly associated with several biological processes. For example, they are often the target site for enzymes that are capable of cutting and pasting DNA into different locations of their genome. These "jumping genes" are called transposons and are one of many mechanisms that contribute to genetic changes in organisms and consequently their evolution. Corn ears with different colored kernels are often the result of these transposons. Inverted repeats are also commonly associated with regions of DNA that enzymes regulating the turning on or off of a gene bind. These enzymes are called transcription factors.

I am currently a graduate student at the University of Minnesota studying plant biology. Although, I don't study transposons, I do study the genetics and cell biology of algae. Many of the images used in the design of this website come from biological sources that I have worked on. The circular structures in the banner and along the side of this page are from an electron micrograph of a diatom frustule. Diatoms have a precisely made silicon covering, which is what you're looking at. The pink in the banner is DNA fluorescing, which happens when it is exposed to U.V. light (you probably know that from CSI). I have written more about what my academic interests are in the section labeled biology on this website.