Ella Marks

she/her
High School Apprentice
Plant Disease Team

Today we worked on our independent projects – I've been looking under a microscope at powdery mildew on different samples that we took from all around St. Louis. I'm trying to look at chasmothecia concentration across an urbanization gradient. It's been going pretty well. It's slow, but that's science sometimes.

What I like about Tyson is that there is a lot of openness between what people are working on. Information on projects and research is not kept behind a closed door, you are allowed to ask questions and do more beyond data entry and collection. You get to understand the entire scope of what you're studying. I've also really enjoyed traveling with the people on my team, listening to music, and just talking. And we love our CRV…

TERA has definitely been an adjustment from SIFT. SIFT was somewhat similar to a camp, and TERA is definitely more work-focused. But I do feel like there's still a lot of opportunity to learn, and also to just fool around, which is great.

I think I want to find a job that's a blend between doing lab work and field work because through my time at TERA and SIFT, I’ve come to recognize that doing that 8-4 or 9-5 at a desk or lab every single day would take a massive toll on me. When I'm in the lab doing microscopy work, it's really nice to just go outside and do something else for a little bit. At the same time, days of field work are pretty exhausting, so I think finding that healthy balance between getting out in the field and working in the lab is something that I should really consider when choosing the next steps in my life.

Tyson and SIFT have both reinforced how important the environment is to me while also nurturing my love for science. I’m really glad I have gotten to meet so many cool people and learn so much through these programs.