PiPES Small Town, Big STEM Video Series: Becky Trout Fryxell

Summary

Becky Trout Fryxell is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee in Entomology and Plant Pathology. She grew up in downtown San Diego and has lived in many different places. She currently resides in Tennessee. Becky studies insects and arthropods. She works in the discipline of medical veterinary entomology which means she works with mosquitos, ticks, flies, and other insects. Becky has an undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in Communication. She was inspired to pursue Entomology because she saw science in action. During her time as an undergrad there were a large number of horses dying from a small caterpillar that carried bacteria. She was interested in studying the immune response of the horses and how the bacteria were fatal to the animals. She also desired to study other viruses that emerged around that time that were impacting humans and animals. She believes that scientists are the people who ask why and how. Becky believes that anyone can be a scientist!