Ashley Richards Best

Department of Microbiology & Immunology

Description:

I grew up in Powell, Ohio and attended Miami University for undergraduate where I received B.S. in Microbiology and a B.A. in Spanish. While at Miami I was able to participate in a study abroad program, which ignited my love of traveling. I was also fortunate enough to participate in undergraduate research where I studied a pathogen known for causing infections in wounded soldiers, Acinetobacter baumannii. This work made me realize that I enjoyed research, more than I enjoyed the idea of becoming a doctor. It was through my experiences in that lab that I chose to attend graduate school – an option I did not really know existed until my research experience. Now I am working with a pathogen that causes an atypical pneumonia, Legionella pneumophila, in the lab of Dr. Yousef Abu Kwaik.

 Interests:

Science has always been one of my biggest interests – I like to think I still have the curiosity of child and some days I ask as many questions as a child. However, I also enjoy hiking -being outdoors in a foreign country if possible- and playing video games.

Goals:

One of my major goals is to see more scientists engaging with the public. I feel that we as scientists have a civic duty to inform the public about our research and the importance of all types of research. This is a major step in producing a more favorable climate for increased research funding. I am trying to accomplish this goal through a graduate student organization I founded – SPOG (Science Policy and Outreach Group). As a group, we also work on getting primary school students more interested and engaged in science. Personal life goals include: graduating, making it to every continent, and finding a career where I can talk about science all day!