Hi, I'm Brian Pfau, and I graduated from SPU in 2019 with a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology. I'm now a research scientist doing COVID-19 research at UW Genome Sciences, where I get to put those SPU lab skills to good use! I've been a science nerd ever since growing up with the Magic School Bus, but my high school science education did little to prepare me for an academic career. Like a good number of SPU students, I went to a small religious school that had little interest in science or scientific inquiry—I didn't realize evolution was real until shortly before coming here! As a result, I developed the skill of becoming self-taught, but not without plenty of struggle in my first-year science classes. I was lucky enough to be guided by some folks with similar experience, and I'm eager to do the same for new students in the same boat. As a result, I gained an opportunity an internship for the Smithsonian Environmental research center studying soil microbes. I later became a TA in organic chemistry and microbiology, and performed a research project in Dr. Wood's molecular biology class studying, once again, microbes! I may apply to grad school in the future, but for now I'm excited to keep working in public health and spending some time in the "real world". Over my four years I learned how to navigate the world of SPU as an LGBT student, which comes with its own bouquet of challenges. If you have any concerns or need guidance in that regard, I might be able to help. I'm super available over email or in person evenings, mornings, and weekends.