About the Event

Jess will join us virtually to give their presentation on microfluidics originally crafted for Ann Arbor's "Nerd Night." After the talk, Jess will hang out for a Q&A session. Join us to hear how Jess started melding illustration into their scicomm work (including magazine illustrations!) and how you too can craft a presentation that turns complex scientific topics into enlightening, bar-or-cafe-worthy entertainment.

Droplets for Droplets: How Microfluidics Can Help Keep Our Water Safe

When you turn on the tap, where does that water come from, where has it been, and what’s really in it? While you may have heard of the various chemical pollutants that can affect the water supply, have you ever thought about the invisible life that thrives within it? Jess will introduce you to the bacterial zoo in our water, how these microbes can affect our health, and what cutting edge technology called microfluidics could enable us to do about it.

Jess (they/them) is a 5th year PhD student in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at U-M with a deep passion for bacteria and the other unseen life on this planet, particularly in spaces heavily influenced by human activity. In their free time, they enjoy tangling yarn in precise ways to (somehow) create stuffed animals.