Nina Gao was born and raised in southern California, so she’s unlikely to ever leave. For fun, she loves cooking and baking, forcing herself to go on bike rides and jogs to compensate. She voices her scientific interests and quirky sense of humor on Twitter @biologist_nina and on her personal blog. Currently, she’s researching bacterial disease in the lab of Dr. Victor Nizet. She’s looking forward to what the future may hold for her, with an interest in educating the public about science and infectious diseases.
Daniel Garcia was born in San Diego and raised in Chula Vista, but left the comforts of perfect weather to get his bachelor’s degree at Harvey Mudd College. After a 2-year stint at the NIH as a post-bac, he decided to return home for grad school and studies cancer cell biology in John Chang’s lab. Daniel is involved in mentoring and science outreach through the SACNAS chapter on campus, and hopes to continue these efforts throughout his career. Aside from science, he enjoys pour-over coffee, craft beer, and vintage bikes. Now a resident of North Park, he has finally come to terms with being a hipster. Follow him on Twitter @tgfbetta, where he likes to live-tweet from scientific conferences.
Samantha Jones grew up in the Boston area as an avid Red Sox fan and lover of lobster. She escaped developing a Boston accent, although she has been asked to do one by most people she meets. She attended Vassar College in New York, studying biology and secondary education, while competing on the swim team and actively avoiding frostbite after winter practices. When not in lab, you can find her writing, teaching yoga, and spending time outside appreciating the beautiful San Diego weather. She’s working toward a future involving science journalism and increasing public science literacy through education. Visit Sam’s website for an up-to-date look at what she’s working on, or follow her on Twitter @jonesfreelance for all things science.
Former writers:
Kanaga Arul Nambi Rajan is a northern Californian transplanted in SoCal. When not in lab, she is involved in several science outreach programs in the community including the Salk Mobile program and the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center. After grad school, she hopes to have a career educating the public about science either via science education or science writing (or both). If you can’t find her in lab, chances are she is either at home baking cupcakes, crafting or running around San Diego taking photographs. Follow her on Twitter @kanagaanr if you want to learn more about science or follow her baking adventures.
The BMS Times 