Jailene Gonzalez


Hello, My name is Jailene C. Gonzalez. I am a first-generation student of color at Smith College from the Class of 2022. I am currently attending Smith College in hopes of pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences. I am also interested in digital art and photography. This summer I am working through Smith College’s SURF program conducting biodiversity research in the Katz Lab run by Professor Laura A. Katz. I have been a member of this lab since I was a freshman through the AEMES program and have been a part of this lab’s Amoeba and Plant Team.

I created/designed this website as a collection of all the work I’ve done this summer for SURF 2020 alongside Hannah Rappaport ’22. Together, we’ve studied the microbial community present in the bromeliads and Nepenthes pitcher plants at our college’s greenhouse, Lyman Plant House and Conservatory (Northampton, MA, USA). We also hope to continue doing research during the academic year on the microbial diversity of Nepenthes pitchers as they age over time.

Hannah Rappaport


Hi, I’m Hannah Rappaport. I am a member of the Class of 2022 at Smith College, majoring in Biological Sciences and potentially Studio Art. Some of my passions are foraging and glassblowing. I have been a member of the Katzlab since the beginning of my sophomore year at Smith through the STRIDE program. In SURF this summer, I have been completing biodiversity and transcriptomics research. I am very excited to be back in the lab with Jailene taking samples from the pitcher plants and looking down the microscopes.