Two years in and hitting our stride

Hard to believe it, but we just celebrated our second labversary!

We kicked things off with my “State of the Lab” presentation, and the state of the lab is strong. Looking back on year two, it really feels like we’re hitting our stride.

We followed the update with a BBQ full of delicious food, and it was wonderful to mark the milestone alongside our lab members and lab friends. We also grabbed an updated lab photo while we were all together.

With the good comes the bittersweet. We’re saying farewell to Kina, who is off to start her PhD at UC Irvine. Go Anteaters! (Quick detour: the Anteater is a very respectable third on my list of favorite school mascots, behind the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs and the Evergreen State Geoducks.) Kina, congratulations, and we can’t wait to see what you do next.

Stepping into Kina’s spot is Trevor, who joined us just a few weeks ago and is already doing a great job in the role.

We also want to give a warm welcome to Julia and Uma, who joined a few months. We’re thrilled to have you both in the lab.

It’s been a lot of fun having summer students around, too. Rohin Mainali joined us through the ACS SEED program and Diego Caranco through SRTP, and both wrapped up with really great summer presentations and poster sessions. Thanks for all your hard work this summer.

Onward to year three, and hope everyone is having a great summer!