I am passionate about inspiring future scientists to ask questions, test their ideas, and dream big! I am a biochemist, researcher, teacher, and writer who wants to inspire others to love science!
I earned a PhD in Biochemistry and completed a postdoc research position at St. Jude Children’s Reseach Hospital. With a strong desire to teach and encourage others to go into science, I spent nine years teaching high school biology (Biology Honors, Biotechnology, AP Biology, IB Biology (HL and SL).
My next step was to follow a lifelong passion and write stories to inspire others to learn new things and follow their dreams.
I have publications in scientific journals, children’s magazines, and anthologies.
My writing can be found in my blogs and publications on medium.com.
Published works in anthologies can be viewed here. 
My passions include reading, writing, hiking, and spending time with my family. I am very involved in my church, writing groups, and enjoy lunch dates with my friends. My favorite hiking places include the Rocky Mountains, Smoky Mountains, and Olympic National Park. The photo on the right was taken at the beautiful botanical gardens in Acadia National Park!
Goals
- My passion is writing scientific content that meets people where they are in scientific background and knowledge. Being adequately informed about scientific issues is important to your health, protecting the environment, and making educated policy decisions.
- To bring a bigger focus on science education in our classrooms. Most K-12 educators do not have advanced science degrees, making it more difficult to present current technologies and discuss employment opportunities. I used my experience in academic and industrial laboratories to enhance the lessons for my students. They knew that I was describing actual laboratory experiences.
- Working on enrichment materials to help elementary and middle school teachers keep their students excited about science. It is very challenging to teach a subject that you do not have a depth of knowledge in.
If you are curious about my journey…
How Did I Get Here?
High School Dreams
In high school, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be an English or biology major. Could girls be biology majors? I wish I only wondered this because of the time I grew up in, but girls still ask this!
Undergraduate Experience
Off to college I went, to figure it out. I found that writing was much harder at the collegiate level (shocking) and was a bit discouraged. I was still in love with biology (human physiology, ecology, human health, and much more). My desire was to take pretty much every biology and English course in the course catalog. Realizing I couldn’t do it all, I chose to major in biology. I figured I could write about science.
Graduate School (Round 1)
I married my college sweetheart right after graduating with a BS in Biology (technically, Genetics and Development). But what do you do with a BS in Biology? My friends, who majored in biology, went on to medical or veterinary training. My husband had already earned his MS in Mechanical Engineering. I couldn’t get left behind, right? So, I enrolled at Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (through North Texas State University) to earn a MS in Microbiology. Note: Both of these schools have since changed their names. Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine is now University of Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. North Texas State University is now the University of North Texas.
I enjoyed the challenge of the classes, completing a research project, and the satisfaction of completing a thesis.
Research
We moved to St. Louis, where I had the opportunity to work at a lab at Washington University School of Medicine as well as at the headquarters of Monsanto Laboratories. These highly valuable experiences made me yearn for a higher degree in science.
Graduate School (Round 2)
Life decisions resulted in another move, this time to Pittsburgh, PA. I enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and earned a PhD in Biochemistry. To make this challenge a bit steeper, I had a child during this time. Nothing like pregnancy to reduce the complications of working in a lab! Ha!
Postdoc (Round 1)
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was an amazing experience! The impact of the hospital’s mission is undeniable; everyone worked hard to help the children. It was inspiring. I was the Vice-Chair of Communications for the Postdoc Council.
Assistant Professor (Sabbatical Replacement)
I was the sabbatical replacement for the Biochemistry professor in the Chemistry department at Rhodes College. My dream of teaching was alive and kicking and now I had a chance to gain experience at the collegiate level. I had the privilege to teach Biochemistry, Advanced Biochemistry, and Organic Chemistry Lab.
Postdoc (Round 2)
After the one-year position as a biochemistry instructor, I was invited to stay on in the biology department as a postdoctoral researcher. Dr. Terry Hill was my mentor, and we published work on the cell wall integrity and polarized growth in Aspergillus nidulans. I also co-taught Methods in Biochemistry and Cell Biology.
High School Biology Teacher
With the postdoc nearing an end, a new path had to be forged. This was an excellent opportunity to pursue teaching high school biology. An opening was available at Lausanne Collegiate School, a private school in Memphis. Nervous, but excited, I was overjoyed to be chosen as a biology teacher and begin my career as a teacher. I spent 9 years there, passionately looking for ways to inspire students to appreciate biology. I taught Biology, Honors Biology, Biotechnology, AP Biology, IB Biology (HL and SL). I also co-teach and co-designed a new course “Ecology, Ecosystems and the Environment”. Coursework included international trips to Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands.
Life Took a Detour
As life does, it threw a curve ball. After the end of the ninth year, I left teaching to care for my mother. Not knowing when I would be able to return, I resigned to leave room for a new teacher to come in. I miss my mother dearly and am grateful that I was able to spend time with her and step away from work.
TigerLIFE
I missed teaching but wasn’t sure what to do next. To open more options, I began working on a teaching certificate (not needed for most private schools). My Special Education class required some hours spent in field work and one option was TigerLIFE at the University of Memphis. This is a two-year program for students who graduated high school from a special education program. The goal of the program is to assist students in transitioning from school to work. Classes in resume writing, interviewing, job skills, and internships are part of the program. This was an amazing experience and brought to my attention needs that I was not directly familiar with before.
Writing
My dream of writing never died. I wanted time to explore this desire and use my life experience as a mother, teacher, and all-around curious person to share my thoughts and knowledge with others. I joined the Bartlett Christian Writers Group and began learning the craft of storytelling. I submitted my first story, A Gift that Keeps on Giving, to Grace Publishing. I was thrilled when it was published in their Christmas edition in 2024. I currently have stories in two other anthologies, with one more coming out soon.
Harriet E. Michael and I coauthored Winging It, an article about eagles in Kids Answers. A second article, about red pandas, will also be published in Kids Answers.
I am working on supplementary science education materials for primary and middle school students. I want to assist teachers in reaching curriculum goals and inspiring a love of science in their students! The future is in the hands of the next generation!
Annette’s Publications
The anthologies with my stories can be seen here.