Onwards and Upwards?

I can go on and on about how lame and busy I've been to post anything (since September!??!!), but I won't make a list of excuses. I'll just apologize and get right to the newest announcement for Team Kappas/LaRocque:

We're moving to Washington, DC!

Go Hoyas!

After a very lengthy and emotionally and mentally exhausting job search for an assistant faculty position, I ended with two job offers: one from the Biology Department at Yeshiva College (NYC), and one from the Department of Human Science in the School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University (DC). There were a lot of factors that came into the final decision, including geographical locale, job opportunities for Nick, best academic fit for myself, blah blah blah. But at the end of the day, we knew that NYC was a short-term gig for us, and moving more South (and closer to both families) was a great opportunity. The Department is a small, undergraduate-only department and the faculty there are fantastic (very much like a family already). The students are fantastic as well. I'll be teaching undergraduates (Intro to Genomics and Genetics- for Nursing and Language of Health and Disease), and running my own independent research program where undergraduates will be doing the research. It's a perfect fit for what I want to do and very excited about a position where education and curriculum development is very important and emphasized.

This is St. Mary's Hall, where my office will be and the Department is housed. My lab is across the scenic parking garage, in the Dental School Building.

So there are a lot of fun things to figure out in the next few months. I start July 1st, but this includes a 3 week stint in Chapel Hill (yay!), to re-establish my Drosophila research that I did in undergrad under the tutelage of Jeff Sekelsky. Then we'll be settling in Washington, DC. New location, new jobs, and lots of excitement!