I am a Bioinformatics MSc student based in the department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph, supervised by Dr. Karl Cottenie. In the spring of 2019, I completed my undergraduate degree at Trent University in Forensic Science (broadly, the application of science to law) with a minor in Biology. For my honours thesis, I studied the effects of a biotrophic fungus (Ustilago maydis) on cytokinin responsive transcription in corn (Zea mays). Through this project, I become interested in the interactions between microscopic organisms and the host on which they thrive. The focus of my MSc thesis is on using bioinformatics tools to investigate the impact of ecological principles on the microbiome. This project starts with looking at the impact of local and regional dispersal on the oral and gut microbiome of the Canada Jay (parents and offspring) from Algonquin Park. Seeing that I am still early in my first semester as I am writing this, we will have to wait and see where this project goes from here!