The Contributors

My name is Ali Iyoob, and I am a biology student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. All my life, I have been fascinated by biology, particularly animals and ecology, and hope to devote my life to this worthwhile and fulfilling field of study. I have been active in a number of ornithological and herpetological research projects, allowing me to experience methods such as DNA analysis and radio telemetry. I worked at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science in the ornithology department, where I conducted independent Buteo jamaicensis studies, and eventually made a few breakthroughs regarding the far-west subspecies of the bird. Through Project Simus, I was able to use radio telemetry to track the movements of the Northern Pine Snake. I also keep and breed venomous snakes, scorpions, and tarantulas, and hope to start milking venom from them for use in anti-venoms that are in consistent demand.  By traveling to Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas, I now have a better understanding of population ecology and the reasons for environmental speciation. 

My name is Whitney Yaniero and I am currently enrolled as a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Living on the shores of Lake Norman as the only child of two Duke Energy employees, the environment and issues surrounding it have always been a part of my life.  However, it wasn’t until a good friend convinced me to take an environmental science course in high school that I became passionate about the subject.  Since then I have assisted in running a school wide recycling program, a creek cleanup, and created and maintained a hydroponic garden for my high school senior project.  I especially have an interest for food science, sustainability, and problems surrounding agriculture and the looming global food crisis. 

My name is Scott McLaughlin, and I’m a biology major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You could say I’m what could be called a typical college student: a food moocher, a guy who loves naps, and a person seeking to continue developing into my future self with college as a catalyst. What sets me apart, however, is that I’m one of those quirky people who have a love for the natural sciences. I've had many real-life experiences in this field, such as studies conducted within forests and more, and all of them have been wonderful. This subject isn’t the strong suit of some people, but for me, it’s something that I hope to learn more and more about as I grow older. Not only do I love learning about it, but I also love explaining it and teaching it to other people. Though many people aren’t particularly strong in the subject of the natural sciences, they still have at least a small amount of interest in it. I have a slight knack for simplifying things into 3rd-grade language while still getting a full point across, so I hope to put that skill to use in this blog by educating these curious people who aren’t all too familiar with the in-depth science jargon. If you have any questions about subjects I happen to write about, just comment or contact me and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as I can!

My name is Will Teachey and I am currently a sophomore undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am studying Chemistry with the end goal of attending Medical School. I really got interested in Chemistry my senior year of high school because of an awesome AP Chem teacher I had, and from then on, I have been fascinated by science in general and specifically Chemistry. This summer I had the incredible opportunity to work at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Alabama, which is also my hometown. I was directly involved in cancer research, specifically breast and colon cancer, and this experience only further solidified my plans. I love reading science blogs and articles to stay on the cutting edge of what’s going on in the world of research. Hopefully I can pass on some useful knowledge to all the readers, and if not...well, yeah that would be bad!