Mary

Chang

For her thesis project, Mary Chang chose to study, and feed, the "Purple Pitcher Plant", a carnivorous plant that consumes insects to thrive in a nutrient-poor soil environment. While Chang was successful in detecting the enzymes necessary for the plant's digestion, likely derived from the self-digestion of the frozen crickets it consumed, she was more thrilled by her students' fascination with the project.

Chang's true passion is a blend of teaching and lab work, herself motivated by student interest in the sciences. With an education degree coupled with graduate training, she hopes to find a niche teaching students in a lab-based learning environment.

Chang has had several opportunities to provide laboratory instruction throughout her own education, having worked as a TA for several years. She confirms that guiding undergraduates as they explored the basics of biology furthered her interest in an education-related career. Outside the lab, Chang was also able to attend several field trips and frequented the research bogs and on-campus greenhouses. She also enjoyed the annual biology retreat at Kingfisher Lake, which solidified Chang and her peers as friends and colleagues.

Chang hopes to use her graduate experience to inspire future students with intriguing projects on fascinating study subjects.

What does her future hold? Chang recently returned from the UK, after being flown up by a recruitment agency for a series of teaching interviews. She is also currently preparing for an interview next week at local lab, Mitomics Inc.