Email: madison.armstrong[at] wsu.edu Interests After taking a life-changing trip to Ecuador two summers ago, I realized that I wanted to pursue research as a career. Working through a company called Operation Wallacea, a group of fellow high school students and I worked with Graduate students on their own projects out in the jungles of Ecuador. Seeing that they were able to make a career of learning about things they are interested in inspired me to want to do the same.
As an undergraduate here at WSU, I am still figuring out exactly what my future career will be. Currently, I am interested in how the environment affects phenotypic gene expression. I enjoy studying Genetics and Evolutionary Biology and how they work together to shape a life form.The nature versus nurture debate is fascinating and I hope to conduct my own research on it in the future.
After graduation I plan on attending a graduate school to continue my education in the Evolutionary Biology field to obtain my PhD. as well as studying the nature versus nurture debate to a deeper level. I am unsure of my exact future career, but I know that I would like it to be centered around research in the Evolutionary Biology field.
Research Experience Assistant Lab Technician: February 2016 to Present Worked within the Entomology department of WSU under Paul Nabity. Learned how to utilize and create a dichotomous key for Vitis (Grapevines). Assisted in website development. Classified species of insects by class and prepared them for the local museum.
Lab Technician: September 2015 to Present Began working in a evolutionary biology research lab at the Washington State University Evolution lab. Measured protein differentiation of asexual reproducing New Zealand snails through allozyme electrophoresis. Worked collaboratively with a small team of professors, grad students and undergraduates on the snail evolution project. Learned research skills through trial and error experimentation.
Summer 2014 (June-July 2 week volunteer trip) Worked alongside Graduate Students conducting research in Ecuador through a program called Operation Wallacea. Collaborated with my group of high school students, two high school teachers and researchers. Learned research skills, set camera traps, and collected population distribution data about multiple species
