Banani Mondal is a PhD Candidate in bee metabolomics and lipidomics at the University of Wyoming. Banani is currently working on extracting bee sample metabolites in suitable solvents and doing analysis using the current GC-MS instrument in the lab. These samples will then be used for analysis on a new, high-resolution GC-MS instrument and results are being reviewed for possible purchase. Banani enjoys her work and loves acquiring new knowledge about analytical instruments like GC-MS and LC-MS. Banani’s dream project would involve the high-resolution, GC-MS instrument to analyze bee metabolites for identification and quantification.

Banani has learned to love the collection of bees in Dr. Dillon’s lab. When she first tried to handle and collect, the bees just flew around her! She was a bit scared at first but eventually found joy in the process once she learned how to handle the bees. Banani is fascinated by bee behaviors and finds it very interesting that bees ‘dance’ to communicate directions to a food source. Banani knew she wanted to be a scientist during her undergraduate studies at Khulna University in Bangladesh. She enjoyed her physics, chemistry and biology classes but had very little interest in any Bengali or literature class. She loved reading articles and doing research in the lab. The best advice Banani has received is to read more about the work related to her field. In addition, she was encouraged to work hard and always write down everything about an experiment in her lab notebook, even the mistakes. Taking good notes reminds you to not do the same mistake twice. Banani’s second love is gardening and hopes to have a nursery at some point in the future.