We live on a tiny rock flying through an unfathomably large universe, but that rock is full of countless wonderful, beautiful, and complex things. It is my hope to explore and understand as much of it as possible — no matter if what is being explored is massive or microscopic.
I love learning and exploring new ideas, but above all, I love sharing whatever knowledge I can with others. I believe a more scientifically literate and engaged population makes society healthier, happier, and more prosperous. I also love learning and experimenting with new tools and forms of expression.
I love learning and exploring new ideas, but above all, I love sharing whatever knowledge I can with others. I believe a more scientifically literate and engaged population makes society healthier, happier, and more prosperous. I also love learning and experimenting with new tools and forms of expression.
Some highlights of my scientific and creative work:
Scientific Research: I am a neuroscientist by training, receiving my PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Hyson as a part of the birdsong research group at Florida State University. My research focused on the hierarchy of processing in the brain, using electrophysiology and computational biology to understand how changes in ion channels alter the activity of circuits. My research offered some of the first direct evidence of experience-dependent non-synaptic plasticity in learning.
SciComm and Outreach: I currently work as a senior science writer and scientific communications liaison for the incredible Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, where I share and explain the groundbreaking research happening at Basic Sciences. The division is home to leading experts in cell biology, virology, systems biology, and neuroscience.
I co-created SciPhotos, a project dedicated to connecting artists and scientists through collaborative projects exploring both scientific ideas and artistic expression.
I co-created SciPhotos, a project dedicated to connecting artists and scientists through collaborative projects exploring both scientific ideas and artistic expression.
Art and Scientific Illustration: When trying to express technical concepts, images are often the best medium. While I spend much of my time speaking and writing about science, I am also a skilled scientific illustrator and artist.
Beyond this, I channel my fascination with cells, the biological units of life, into MTRoss Design. This is the home for my art, where I explore biology, our sense of self, and our place in the universe. I am fixated by the reality that we are creatures made up of trillions of individual cells that all work in concert to maintain their continued existence within the universe. Beyond that existential crisis, is the fact that somehow the interactions between our cells results in consciousness.
The Brain
Winner of FSU's Graduate Excellence in the Visual Arts Award
Winner of FSU's Graduate Excellence in the Visual Arts Award
Audio Production and Music: My earliest passion is music, which is responsible for my eventual journey into neuroscience.
I write and perform with the band Lonely Creatures.
I have also composed and produced orginal music for a variety of projects.
I write and perform with the band Lonely Creatures.
I have also composed and produced orginal music for a variety of projects.
Game Design: I love playing and making games in all forms. The medium manages to combine my fascination with graphic design, information processing, and understanding human decision making. While play is not exclusive to humanity, the conscious creation of abstractions of reality for the purpose of play does appear to be unique. Singularity Games is home to my board and analog game projects.
