Department of Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering Risk Modeling

Biography

Kayla is an MS student in Biosystems Engineering. She has been a graduate research assistant in the lab since 2024. Kayla finished her BSE in chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. She intends to pursue a PhD in Biosystems Engineering after receiving her MS. She is an active member of Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA), and the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) Graduate Student Advisory Group (GSAG). Kayla also serves on the Community Norms Steering Committee within BAE GSAG. Kayla enjoys crocheting, roller skating, and collecting quotes for her quote walls inside the office and at her house when she has free time.

Research

Kayla is interested in microbial food safety, public health, and human health risks. She has worked on the following projects:

• Evaluating pathogen and surrogate equivalence: Bacillus persistence on various fomites