Kolton Morgan was one of our amazing students who graduated earlier this May. Kolton, an Elma, Washington, native, competed an undergraduate degree in biochemistry and plans on joining the Washington State Patrol and pursuing a career as a forensic scientist.
How has WSU prepared you for your future?
WSU has helped prepare me for my future through all the amazing opportunities they have available. Through those opportunities I have gained lots of experience in a multitude of things. These opportunities have helped me work toward finding that I wanted to have a career in forensic science.
What’s your favorite thing about WSU?
My favorite thing about WSU is all the people I have met. I have met and formed friendships with lots of great people that help me strive to be the best person I can be, and I couldn’t be more grateful for them.
What’s your favorite course you’ve taken at WSU?
My favorite course I have taken is MBIOS 454, which is the Biochemistry Lab. The professors for this class were Jennifer Watts and Iwona Driskell. This class was my favorite course taken because it allowed me to broaden my view on the types of things you can test with research. For this course my favorite part was where we took our DNA and used Sanger Sequencing to look at our genes to determine in my case if I was lactose intolerant and at how my body metabolizes caffeine.
Did you have work in a lab while you were at WSU?
I did research in the Griswold Lab. The Griswold lab focuses on germ cell development throughout spermatogenesis within the mouse. My project within this setting relies upon protein identification within the germ and Sertoli cells of the seminiferous tubules of the testis to evaluate changes over time. This will be accomplished through various techniques, including immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR. The hope of this work is to positively identify important drivers of germ cell development present within the testis.
What’s one of your favorite hobbies?
One of my favorite hobbies that I have started doing since I started at WSU is skiing. Winter is my favorite time here because that means it is skiing season.
What’s a unique fun fact about you?
One unique fact about myself is that my twin brother and me share the same birthday as WSU.