Project Title: The Effect of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Emitted from Compost on Soil Microbes.

Mentors: Noah Fierer and Mallory Choudoir, CIRES/EBIO      

Bio: Cora is originally from Denver, Colorado where she spent most of her time reading, playing piano and participating in the high school marching band. From there she moved to Sterling, CO, a much smaller town in the middle of a farming community, to attend Northeastern Junior College (NJC). She entered college with the understanding that she wanted to study science, but it was at NJC that she realized that she was most interested in the field of microbiology. While she plans to take microbiology classes in the future, she took advantage of a work-study opportunity as a student to assist in the preparation and clean-up of the microbiology labs. This hands-on experience including assisting microbiology students with their projects has greatly influenced Cora and inspired her to want to learn more about the abundant, invisible communities of microorganisms.

At the end of her two years at NJC, Cora received an Associate of Science degree. She plans to attend a four-year university in the fall and later go on to obtain a master’s degree in microbiology which she will use to go into field research.

View a short 90-second elevator speech.