The arrangement of seeds aligned with Fibonacci sequence numbers creates the traditional spiral appearance of this sunflower.

I am a Physiological Sciences major and third-year DPT student. When I'm in Milwaukee, I'm usually studying anatomy and physiology, but I've tried to expand my horizons a bit. I have two minors, in Spanish for the Health Professions and Mathematics. While I hope to be able to use Spanish to treat my future patients, my math minor is solely for fun. I don't particularly enjoy applied mathematics, instead I have opted for courses in abstract algebra and other theoretical math. I love the nature of numbers as an intimate intellectual interaction between human beings and the world that surrounds them. One of my favorite examples is the Fibonacci sequence, which often shows up in nature.

I'm also a student animal caretaker for the Animal Resource Center here. I spend a lot of my time hanging out with mice and rats, making sure their lives are happy, healthy and comfortable while they do their part to contribute to important research done here. Our animals are split between Schroeder Complex and Wehr Life Sciences, and I'm in charge of the animals in the latter. Most days you can find me on the fifth floor changing cages, assessing animal health, or giving food and water. My favorite mice are ob/ob mice, who do not produce leptin, and as a result become pleasantly plump models for type II diabetes and other related metabolic issues. I'm also partial toward Long Evans rats, whose babies look like mini cows.

Coco when he was 11 years old.

My favorite pastime when going home was to spend time with my dog. Coco was a 13.5-year-old Chow/Australian Shepherd mix when he passed away on February 6th. His favorite activities were sleeping, barking at anyone who went near our front yard, and begging for treats. He also loved going for medium-length walks with my parents. He enjoyed his alone time but was always willing to accept my constant affection.