I now have a Bachelor of Science with the Honors curriculum in Biology from Purdue University!
Major 1: Genetic BiologyMajor 2: Ecology, Evolution, & Environmental Biology
Minor: Psychology
Honors thesis: Inferring mating habits in banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) using DNA extracted from copulatory plugs
Wooooo! A big thank you to my family, friends, and instructors for helping me along the way. I now will sound ten times smarter in any debate because I have some letters after my name ;)
And thankfully our commencement ceremony wasn’t too religious. Purdue has four ceremonies due to the sheer number of students, and mine was the last one. The first three had a Lutheran minister speak, and apparently he enjoyed referencing God a lot and asking people to pray during the “Moment of Reflection.” Our commencement got a Rabbi, who was wonderful – he was funny and completely and utterly secular.
Now, I don’t think a public university should designate a time for religious speakers, as that inherently shows a preference for religion over non-religion. Not to mention, even when they try to be diverse, they never include anything outside of Abrahamic religions – when I went a couple years ago (for the grad of my boyfriend at the time) they still just had a Catholic, a Protestant, a Jew, and a Muslim (no, they didn’t walk into a bar). My big beef is that after the “Moment of Reflection,” the choir sings “Amen” over and over again. Um, yeah, that’s not a moment of reflection…
But anyway, it was nice. Afterward there was a little reception for the College of Science, where my parents got to meet some of my professors. I liked this one interaction with my biology professor from Sophomore year:
Prof: I love meeting parents because I get to see Mendelian genetics in action!
Me: *laughs*
Parents: *awkwardly chuckle because they have no idea what that means*
Then later I got to explain that he was nerdily saying that I looked like both of them, hehe.
I guess I’m officially a scientist now, yaaay!
PS: Oh, and I got recognized by random professors and parents I didn’t know because of Boobquake, hahaha.
59 comments
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Maximilian Weylandt
May 17, 2010 at 12:36 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
well done jen!!
Philip Pangrac
May 17, 2010 at 12:42 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Probably should make jokes on this day, but I can’t resist this:Jennifer McCreight (BS) doesn’t exactly make you sound smarter :pBut seriously, congrats.
kendermouse
May 17, 2010 at 12:43 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Awesome!
Philip Pangrac
May 17, 2010 at 12:52 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
That should be “shouldn’t make jokes”But it’s too late. I gone and done it and I’d do it again, too. Consarn it.
Adam G. Van Kirk
May 17, 2010 at 12:55 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
For some reason, I expect to see you go on a fountain run right after this picture. XD
David's Not Here
May 17, 2010 at 1:03 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congrats, beats my Bachelor in Religious Studies all to hell…And my Rabbinic Ordination too…*academia envy*
Iason Ouabache
May 17, 2010 at 1:06 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congrats, Jen! I’m very proud of you.
Jadehawk
May 17, 2010 at 1:31 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
*throws biodegradable, carbon-neutral, non-toxic confetti*
Jadehawk
May 17, 2010 at 1:33 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
“PS: Oh, and I got recognized by random professors and parents I didn’t know because of Boobquake, hahaha.”oh yes, you’re internet famous now. random strangers will recognize you and feel like they know you ;-)
Givesgoodemail
May 17, 2010 at 1:52 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations! One more scientist in the world.Hope you have a good time in the next few years.
Guest
May 17, 2010 at 1:53 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations. Did you compare the DNA of the offspring to the plugs to see if any of the male kangaroo rats switched tactics and popped in for a quickie prior to another male creating a plug? Just wondering.
sbh
May 17, 2010 at 2:10 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Cool. And now on to the Pacific Northwest…?
Gordon H. Clark
May 17, 2010 at 2:49 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Heartiest congratulations! The world always needs another Purdue alum and another scientist!
James F. McGrath
May 17, 2010 at 3:06 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations!
Ian Andreas Miller
May 17, 2010 at 3:10 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Macta virtute esto!Certa bonum certamen!
Tony
May 17, 2010 at 3:16 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I was going to make a similar comment to the prof re: genetics, but in less jargony terms. Congratulations.@Adam: true fountain runs became impossible during 2001 when the giant metal phallus was installed. Or has it since been removed?
Vincenzo Lisciandrello
May 17, 2010 at 3:23 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Excellent news! Yay for Jen!
artfine
May 17, 2010 at 3:30 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congrats on your graduation! (and the fact that a lighting bolt did not strike is sort of like Boobquake — evidence that God may *not* exist (as if anyone God might want to ht with a lightning bolt, it would be a non-believe such as yourself!)On a more serious note, some public universities do NOT require comments from a Abrahamic- based eligion. When I graduated with an English Language arts degree (and journalism minor) from Washington State University in 2005, our spiritual invocation was performed by a Chief of the Yakima Tribe, who had to get permission from tribal elders to perform such a sacred prayer with and for non-triabl members — there is hope!
Villy
May 17, 2010 at 3:43 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations! I’m a little daunted at the prospect of ONE major, so kudos to you!
William Brinkman
May 17, 2010 at 3:49 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
One was tough for me. Congratulations!
Ruby Leigh
May 17, 2010 at 4:21 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Assuming the people in the photo are your parents, I will go ahead and say that I agree with your professor and additionally your parent’s are very attractive people. Cheers! Best of luck
Wayne Colvin
May 17, 2010 at 4:27 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
With honors too, Congratulations!
Gayle Jordan
May 17, 2010 at 4:37 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Jen McCreight is a liberal, geeky, nerdy, scientific, perverted atheist feminist COLLEGE GRADUATE trapped in Indiana. Send help.Congrats little sister – can’t wait to read about your graduate school experiences!http://www.epiphanyhealth.wordpress.c... — my blog about the 50 new things I’ma do this year as I turn 50!
Jo
May 17, 2010 at 4:37 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Holy crap, my sincerest congrats! Honours, too! Awesome!!Be prepared for people to stop you on the street from hereon in and say “HEY YOU’RE THAT AWESOME CHICK WITH THAT REALLY COOL BLOG PLZ MARRY ME!”You may want to start hiring bodyguards. :D
Egoistpaul
May 17, 2010 at 4:39 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I can certainly see the Mendelian genetics in action in the picture included here. Your height is about the average of your parents’, and so are your facial features.It’s too bad that I can only see one sample in action. If you have more pictures of parents and their offspring, I may be able to validate the theory with a higher degree of confidence.
Eric Dutton
May 17, 2010 at 4:41 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations!I’m impressed by the fact that you managed two majors AND a blog. I had to shut mine down toward the end of my last semester.
Arleen
May 17, 2010 at 6:11 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations!
Collin
May 17, 2010 at 6:17 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Speaking of Mendelian genetics, it’s kind of funny. You’re right about at the direct midpoint between your parents’ heights.
Collin
May 17, 2010 at 6:17 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I just noticed a post a few lines above me said the same thing. D’oh!
Yamiko
May 17, 2010 at 8:06 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations!
Sam Barnett-Cormack
May 17, 2010 at 9:11 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thankfully (for those that have them), the British version of the abbreviation doesn’t suffer from this problem – BSc. Has a nicer ring to it, to my mind.
Sam Barnett-Cormack
May 17, 2010 at 9:14 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations, and good luck on your postgraduate career
Bad Wolf
May 17, 2010 at 10:27 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations!
malifiecent
May 17, 2010 at 10:45 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
yay! ^^ hopefully i’ll get myself a graduation! =P
mcbender
May 17, 2010 at 11:18 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations, Jen. I’m not sure if there’s anything else to say here… hopefully the transition to graduate school is seamless.
the_Siliconopolitan
May 17, 2010 at 11:28 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Somehow I’m not the least bit surprised that this was your chosen topic …Doesn’t “Amen” just mean “So mote it be”?Congraaaaaaats!
NotThatGreg
May 17, 2010 at 1:03 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congrats! There’s a happy Jen and some proud parents. That sounds like a pretty cool thesis (so where’s the download link?). Mine was the much lamer “something network something performance improvements something something”.
Robert
May 17, 2010 at 1:12 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations to you! Use that degree well, and good luck in grad school, or whatever it is you Yanks call getting more more letters around your name. :D
BeamStalk
May 17, 2010 at 1:14 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I told you congrats on facebook, but Congrats here too!
NN
May 17, 2010 at 1:28 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Awww congratulations!!!!I have a genetics degree also.x
libraboy
May 17, 2010 at 2:35 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
May the flying spaghetti monster make smooth your path to Seattle with fresh ragout.
Scxin
May 17, 2010 at 2:53 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations – and good luck!
Metal_Warrior
May 17, 2010 at 3:13 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congrats! Hope I’ll have those funny little letters too in a few years, although mine would sound like “Dr. rer. nat.” (as it is Germany over here and we love Latin – it sounds so important).As for this year my exams are just beginning…
Metal_Warrior
May 17, 2010 at 3:15 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Yeah, “Amen” just means “So be it.”
vjack
May 17, 2010 at 5:03 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congrats! That is a great accomplishment, and we’re proud of you.
Pounce
May 17, 2010 at 5:21 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
CongRats!Damm i so love puns.
The Mad Dreamer
May 17, 2010 at 7:20 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I see Mendelian genetics has certainly made its mark on you. The observations are noted above, so I will not rehash them. Congratulations on your graduation. You will go on to do great things.Still a student here, for another year and a half. Should be fun, though.
Paul
May 17, 2010 at 7:44 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Well done.Like many others, I’m looking forward to watching you make leaps and bounds from there.
A Student
May 17, 2010 at 10:31 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
So much for women having inferior intelligence. Congratulations!
Camels With Hammers
May 18, 2010 at 12:21 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations, Jen! Great luck in graduate school!
Ian Andreas Miller
May 18, 2010 at 11:00 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Ita vero, Lingua Latina mihi placet!
fancyplants
May 18, 2010 at 11:16 AM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Well done Jen, Congratulations on your new letters!
zen
May 18, 2010 at 1:27 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
yer mom’s hot
Pablo
May 18, 2010 at 1:33 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congrats, Jen.I have heard the Rabbi give the reflection or whatever in the past, and agree he does a good job.I’ve also been there with christian ministers, and for the most part, the experiences have been ok. There was one who went over the line, but the rest were pretty basic and secular.While I would never attend a Purdue commencement voluntarily, I will say that when I have gone, I tend to enjoy it. I always like how it starts very formal and solemn, and as the time moves on it gets lighter and lighter, and by the end it’s just a very happy celebration.And I could listen to Mike Piggot read the phone book all day (which is basically all he is doing when reading names)
Jim
May 19, 2010 at 1:53 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congrats Jen!
Sam
May 20, 2010 at 1:45 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Congratulations, Jen. You have already accomplished so much and influenced so many people in a relatively short period of time. I am very impressed.The great thing about education is no one can take it away from you.This old guy in southern Illinois will be following your blog for some time to come and I am definitely looking forward to the next Boobquake!
Pibble
May 20, 2010 at 1:56 PM (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Yay, congrats! I think you are officially who I want to be when I grow up, never mind that I got my BSc mumbledy years ago.I’m suddenly grateful for my graduation ceremony (from a small Canadian university)- we had one of the founders of MSF as our speaker followed by a native drumming ceremony.
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