Jocelyn Plouffe
Lab affiliation: Sparling
Degree(s) you hold: B.Sc. Hons - Microbiology
Degree being sought (M.Sc./Ph.D.): M.Sc.
Hometown (City, Country—list multiple if you have them!): Winnipeg
Your research project in one sentence: Seasonal fluctuations of methanotrophic bacteria in landfill cover soil
Degree(s) you hold: B.Sc. Hons - Microbiology
Degree being sought (M.Sc./Ph.D.): M.Sc.
Hometown (City, Country—list multiple if you have them!): Winnipeg
Your research project in one sentence: Seasonal fluctuations of methanotrophic bacteria in landfill cover soil
What do you do to relax when you have a lazy day at home?
Hang out with my two dogs (a great dane mix and a chihuahua mix), cook up some tasty vegan meals, and lately lots of video calls with my friends and family.
What are you most excited about for 2021? Goals?
In terms of lab work, I’m looking forward to taking some trips to the exotic Brady landfill for sampling. I’m also very excited that rock climbing gyms were able to open again!
What techniques do you/will you most often use in your project?
I will be doing a lot of culturing methanotrophs from environmental samples, 16S rRNA analysis, qPCR, and gas chromatography.
What's one silly mistake you've made in the lab?
I have broken an embarrassing amount of glassware over the years. One time I dropped a freezer box full of (empty) glass vials while going down the stairs, and the wreckage went down a whole floor. I should really stick to the elevator.
What are any current problems you are having with your research?
Figuring out the protocols to research methanotrophs, in a lab that has never worked with methanotrophs before, has probably been the biggest challenge so far. Honestly I’m not very far along in my project yet, but I anticipate plenty of problems in the future!
What did you hope to get out of grad school in the beginning compared to now?
I’m particularly interested in environmental microbiology, so I hope to learn more techniques in community analysis. I’m also really interested in environmental applications of microbes, (like greenhouse gas mitigation) so I hope to continue to learn more about how bacteria can be utilized in different ways. These days, I’m hoping that in the near future we can all have more interactions with each other, and so I can get to know everyone a bit more!
Hang out with my two dogs (a great dane mix and a chihuahua mix), cook up some tasty vegan meals, and lately lots of video calls with my friends and family.
What are you most excited about for 2021? Goals?
In terms of lab work, I’m looking forward to taking some trips to the exotic Brady landfill for sampling. I’m also very excited that rock climbing gyms were able to open again!
What techniques do you/will you most often use in your project?
I will be doing a lot of culturing methanotrophs from environmental samples, 16S rRNA analysis, qPCR, and gas chromatography.
What's one silly mistake you've made in the lab?
I have broken an embarrassing amount of glassware over the years. One time I dropped a freezer box full of (empty) glass vials while going down the stairs, and the wreckage went down a whole floor. I should really stick to the elevator.
What are any current problems you are having with your research?
Figuring out the protocols to research methanotrophs, in a lab that has never worked with methanotrophs before, has probably been the biggest challenge so far. Honestly I’m not very far along in my project yet, but I anticipate plenty of problems in the future!
What did you hope to get out of grad school in the beginning compared to now?
I’m particularly interested in environmental microbiology, so I hope to learn more techniques in community analysis. I’m also really interested in environmental applications of microbes, (like greenhouse gas mitigation) so I hope to continue to learn more about how bacteria can be utilized in different ways. These days, I’m hoping that in the near future we can all have more interactions with each other, and so I can get to know everyone a bit more!