G'day mates! I am so stoked for you to join me down under in Wollongong, Australia this year! During our time together, I hope we can learn lots about the culture, people, food, nature, transportation and (my favorite) science happening here! I've already started sharing some of the culture with you-- can you spot all the Aussie slang in this paragraph?
You're probably wondering how I got all the way down here. Well, the short story is one car ride, two flights, and a train ride. The longer story is a bit more interesting, though! I grew up in Essex, Vermont with my mom, dad, brother and two pugs Peanut and Lulu. Growing up, I loved spending time outside hiking, swimming, and biking with friends. One of my favorite places to explore was the lake nearby, Lake Champlain, because it was a place where I could watch amazing things up close, like tadpoles developing into frogs. It was also the place where I saw the effects of water pollution up close for the first time, which had made the lake I love sick. This inspired me to learn about ways to protect streams and lakes in the environment.
