Alyssa Mianecki is a second-year masters student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa. She grew up in Wisconsin and earned a BS in Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. As an undergraduate student, she was introduced to environmental chemistry and worked in a drinking water laboratory. Using her experience in the lab, she formulated a research project focused on the long-term versus instantaneous occurrence of pharmaceuticals in a creek affected by wastewater. Her undergraduate research has shaped her current research and now she is focused on the biological effects of the same pharmaceuticals in a wastewater impacted creek. After graduation, Alyssa’s goal is to work as an environmental chemist while contributing to public knowledge through outreach. In her free time, she enjoys being with friends and family, adventuring outdoors, and refinishing wooden furniture.