...is postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Tech in Environmental Engineering working on wastewater microbiology. When you flush the toilet, the microbes at a wastewater treatment plant eat the harmful remnants of your waste.  She investigates these wastewater microbes to better understand how they can be leveraged to clean the environment. Previously, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a part-time lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, she was the organizer for the nation’s first Queer Science Day to inspire upcoming LGBTQ scientists with hopes to bring similar outreach to her new home in Atlanta, Georgia. She is often found lounging in coffee shops, rock climbing, baking, and taking long walks in the bitter cold with her dog. 

...is a science educator and former coordinator for Queer Science Day. They directed the first Queer Science Day "post-COVID" (Spring 2022), executing a successful soft launch for the new leadership team. They have worked on research projects including pesticide degradation through a redox reaction that occurs on a mineral nanoparticle, iron cycling in hydrothermal vents, and biofiltration for phosphorus in stormwater. You can often find them swimming, thrifting, drinking bubble tea, or teaching intro to mushroom foraging workshops. 

...is a PhD candidate in environmental engineering and is Queer Science's Chair of Operations, having been involved with Queer Science since coming to UMN in 2018. She studies sustainable nitrogen removal from facultative wastewater treatment ponds in small, rural communities and is passionate about issues relating to environmental justice and STEM education. Rachel enjoys being outside -- especially hiking, throwing a good party, and spending time with her partner and their two mischievous cats. 

Gay Man that received his PhD from the Department of Chemistry. In his research he helped develop methods to use pulsed lasers to image cells and their proteins.