Justin Miller

Why KE7GTS?

When I became an amateur radio operator, I was assigned a call sign of KE7GTS. For several years, I used this call sign to check into an emergency response communications network in the Pacific Northwest. Besides simply buying radios, I participated as a communications specialist in parades, learned Morse code, talked with fellow "ham" operators around the world, strung several antennas through our back woods, and upgraded my license to a General class. Since moving to Utah, I haven't been able to keep up on Morse code; but, I still have my radio and I dream of setting up an antennae again.

Why Bioinformatics?

When I was in high school, I spent an afternoon scrolling through every major that was offered at BYU, and I thought that they all sounded really boring. Then, the word, "bioinformatics" caught my eye. I'd never heard of bioinformatics, and I was intrigued. As I learned more about the potential that bioinformatics has to solve all of the biological challenges in the world, I knew that I needed to pursue that major. So, without any formal training in biology, statistics, or computer science, I leapt headfirst into bioinformatics! Well, three years of university training later, I graduated and went on to graduate school. After another year as a PhD student, I am certain that I made the right choice. I love bioinformatics, and I am convinced that I have the tools to cure diseases, discover novel relationships between different species, and uncover the mysteries of the natural world. I believe in the power of bioinformatics so much that I am currently working on my PhD in bioinformatics from BYU. I hope to graduate by 2019.