Dr. Cheryl Immethun is a postdoc at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineering soil microbes to fix nitrogen like microbes in root nodules can.
In a conversation recorded on February 26th 2021, Cheryl Immethun talked about her post-doctoral research that aims to improve the environment by reducing the amount of nitrogenous fertilizer used on crops. She also discussed her unusual path to life science, coming from an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and then a stint in industry and raising a family before taking classes at community college in her 40s and switching to a life science research career.
She talked about how experiences growing up on a farm helped her appreciate the need for a circular, fully sustainable economy. She also discussed the power of curiosity as a motivator for lots of great work in many fields.