Nava Caluori
Where to start—I have so many great memories of my time working with Michele at UMD. From an ever-growing sticky list to exciting research projects that broadened my research imagination to silly moments in the lab, the Culture Lab is such a special group. It’s hard to beat the excitement I’d always feel when Michele brought in surprise bagels and lox to our lab meetings, ALWAYS enough to feed an army. No other PI has kept me consistently as well-fed as Michele, and for that I’ll always be grateful! One of my favorite memories was traveling to Germany for a conference, and Michele had to stuff all my clothes into her suitcase since the airline I booked on didn’t allow luggage. Thankfully I was able to repay her for this by lending her my deodorant when we arrived, which she had forgotten!! And speaking of fun excursions, before I left UMD, Michele took me, Virginia, and Sarah out for such a wonderful night of celebration in DC that I’ll always remember. We had amazing food on the waterfront and went to a jazz club that knocked my socks off. And on top of these unforgettable experiences, Michele cultivated such a supportive, inquisitive, creative, and original culture in her lab that made it a dream to work there. The Culture Lab shaped me as a researcher in so many ways, and I’m so thankful to Michele for the support, wisdom, and friendship that she has imparted to me. Stanford is lucky to have her, and I know that any student who passes through her lab will be better for it. Cheers to Michele!